Mirai Vegotan
by Supreme TokRa
Summary: Two years after the destruction of Buu in the Mirai timeline Pan, Trunks and the Supreme Kai face a new threat. Best read after Mirai Buu.
1. 1

Disclaimer: I still don't own DBZ. But I'm working on it!

Author's note: I just wanted to say thanks for all the reviews I really appreciated them. I wasn't expecting them, that's for sure! Anyway, due to semi-popular demand and a lack of social life on my part, here's the sequel! It's likely to be longer than the first but I won't be able to squeeze out the chapters quite as fast (Damn Uni assessments! Why can't fan fiction writing be considered a full-time career?). I hope you like it!

            For two years the Z fighters policed the universe. There were a lot of worlds out there and many beings who would enslave them if given the chance. But these fighters were among the most powerful ever born and they were dead already, so they had little or nothing to lose if a battle did get too tough. But for five years they never met their match in battle. Most didn't mind. Only one of them was really dissatisfied with the arrangement, but that was to be expected when dealing with the Saiyan prince. 

            The latest mission given to them by the temporary Supreme Kai Kibito was to take care of a scientist who had taken control of an entire solar system. Much like Dr. Gero he was engineering life forms to do his bidding. A genetically engineered army of powerful soldiers with a hive mind capable of destroying entire worlds. After Goku decided to sit that one out Vegeta and Gohan traveled to the planet and carried out the mission. By the time they'd left the Doctor was dead, as were thousands of his hive-minded slaves.

            What neither of them knew was one soldier was left. Only one out of tens of thousands, but he still had the knowledge and evil desires of his creator, and something the two Saiyans had left behind. 

            Over the next two years the soldier worked alone to restore the laboratory on another planet, far away from the original where he was sure he'd be safe for a while. Then he continued carrying on the Doctor's experiments…

            It was a fairly important time on planet Earth. Three weeks ago the World Martial Arts tournament had been held, and after a heated and memorable battle in which half the stadium was destroyed Pan was declared the most powerful fighter on the planet. Trunks had come close. In reality his power level was virtually identical to Pan's. He still had plenty of fight left in him when she'd slammed him down from mid-air just a bit too hard for him to regain flight before touching the grass outside the ring. Since then she had been unbearable to be around and insisted he address her as World Martial Arts Champion Pan. 

            He'd pretty much told her what to go do with herself after that. 

            Two years and three weeks ago an evil wizard named Babidi had traveled to Earth to resurrect a powerful creature named Buu. Pan, Trunks, Videl and the Supreme Kai of the universe all had to fight together to defeat Babidi and his minions. It had been a tough battle and on several occasions all seemed lost for them, the planet and even the universe, but they had pulled through somehow. 

            Trunks had taken over as head of the Capsule Corporation. He wasn't much of a scientist but he was a far better administrator than his mother, who was retreating to her lab more and more these days. She was working on some kind of energy scanner, similar but more powerful than the old Saiyan-style scouters. Trunks believed she was growing bored during peacetime.

            Videl had given up working for the military. She had no need for money these days and spent most of her time either training or working for various emergency departments. Chichi spent most of her time disapproving of everyone else.

            And Pan…

            To Chichi's great disappointment she had chosen to work for the Capsule Corporation rather than become a neurologist. She now worked on a small research team studying Saiyan space-flight technology. Their current project was supposed to be sold to the government by the end of the year.

            As for the planet's newest alien immigrant…

            Trunks still couldn't believe Pan and the Supreme Kai had hooked up. Sure his father Vegeta had been an alien, but at least he looked more or less human without the tail. Well his hair had been pretty alien as well but that was it. Still once he had gotten to know Shin he seemed like a nice guy. They trained together quite often and he was always friendly and polite with a quick sense of humour. When Chichi had found out this small purple guy was more than Pan's training partner she'd just about hit the roof, then chased him out of her house brandishing a frying pan.

            Trunks guessed the Kais were having a good chuckle that day.

            The remnants of the Earth's Special Forces were getting together that evening to celebrate two years since their last major battle. Master Roshi, Oolong and Puar had invited themselves (much to Chichi's disappointment), Trunks, Videl and Bulma were already there and they were just waiting on Pan and Shin. 

            "Why are they so late? I'm hungry!" Roshi complained. Trunks shook his head but had to agree. This was torture. Chichi was a great cook and he could smell the food hidden away in the kitchen. 

            "Can't we just start without them? We'll leave them some!" Oolong agreed. Videl raised an eyebrow. "Well he doesn't eat much so we'll just save her a couple of bowls. She won't mind."

            "No one is eating until they get here." Chichi laid down the law. Trunks sighed inwardly. He hoped they wouldn't be long.     

            Shin stood before the five Kais and Kibito feeling a familiar dread settle into his stomach. He had been summoned from his new home on Earth and had arrived on his old planet to see the somber gathering.

            "What is it?" he asked. They wouldn't interrupt his century on Earth unless something important was going on. 

            "There is a new threat. The Hive Army has been rebuilt and is now more powerful than before." Kibito said without a word of greeting. Shin frowned. He remembered those guys. 

            "They were never a threat before, and I thought Vegeta and Gohan took care of that a few years ago." Just because he was on vacation didn't mean he was completely in the dark as to the state of the universe.

            "They did. But it seems one or more of the original Hive survived the attack. They've moved the base and now we can't find it. But there is a vast power out there. We can all feel it." Grand said. 

            "Yeah. Even West can feel it." East chimed in.

            "Shut up. It's your quadrant that's the problem." West snapped.

            "Enough." Shin said quietly. They shrank back and glared at each other. "How did the originals survive?"

            "I convinced Vegeta not to destroy the planet. It's my fault." A voice said from behind him. A tall human-looking man with several scars wearing orange stood there with several other people. He bore a startling resemblance to Pan. Another older orange-clad man gripped his shoulder.

            "It wasn't your fault." He said. Shin's eyes widened. That must be Goku…the first one was Gohan and the shorter man in the armour was Vegeta. A short human and a tall Namek stood off to one side.

            "Does anyone know what this power is?" Shin asked, slightly unnerved. Somehow it never occurred to him that he'd meet his father-in-law, not to mention the two most powerful Saiyan warriors of their time. Vegeta looked away. The other two shook their heads.

            "No. All I can tell you is that I've never felt anything so powerful." Goku said. 

            "You say that about everyone we've ever fought." Vegeta snapped. 

            "What are we going to do about it?" Shin cut off the argument before it started. The other Kais looked to him.

            "Well…you are the Supreme Kai." Kibito said. Shin startled.

            "No, you are. I'm on vacation, remember?"

            "And now you're being recalled. What do we do?" Grand asked. 

            "I just got here! Give me a minute will you?" Shin snapped. He had not been expecting this. He thought out loud. "So we don't know what the threat is, or where, or how big. We just know that it's out there. How do we know it's not just another minor Warlord?"

            "I can sense it's the Hive. I've been watching them for a while now. After Vegeta and Gohan supposedly annihilated them I couldn't feel them, but now it's the same presence. I know it's them, just as North Kai would know if Frieza returned." East said with a shudder. It was the first time Shin had seen her be completely serious. That unnerved him more than anything else did. 

            "The first thing we need to do is find them. We don't even know how strong they are yet so let's not panic." Grand Kai said. It was the first truly intelligent thing Shin had heard him say for several centuries.

            "Look I know I'm just the human of the group, but I've got an idea." Krillin piped up. "If we can't sense where the power is, maybe we can use a radar or detector of some kind."

            "Yeah. I'll just go out and build one." Vegeta spat. Krillin narrowed his eyes.

            "Well while you're doing that, we'll just pay a visit to Planet Earth and see what Bulma can do." He said. Shin blinked. Of course! Bulma could sometimes come across as being a bit vacant but she was a genius where technology was concerned.

            "Good thinking Krillin. I'll return to Earth and see what I can do there." Shin said, preparing to transport.

            "Wait." North Kai stopped him. He turned to the others. "If we fight as we are now, you can only return to the other dimension for one day. Yamcha, Tien and Chiaotzu have chosen to move on, but you obviously are not ready yet. I suggest that we have the Dragon restore you all to life." There was silence. 

            "There's a dragon on Earth?" Piccolo demanded. North Kai nodded.

            "Yes. Earth's new Guardian Dende created it." There was silence again.

            "AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL US THIS?" Vegeta thundered. Shin looked at the Kais. Surely they weren't that stupid…

            He looked accusingly at Kibito. He at least had some common sense. He looked away.

            "I was watching the universe. I didn't know they hadn't told them." He said. Shin gritted his teeth.

            "The dragon has been active for two years now." He said and waited for the inevitable reaction. 

            A few minutes later when Gohan and Goku managed to drag Vegeta off North Kai (and muffle some of the shouting and swearing) he continued. "I will return to Earth and have Videl and Pan search for the Dragonballs. Until they're found I will work with Trunks and Bulma on a way to detect this energy source." He said. There was silence.

            "Pan? Videl?" Gohan repeated. A slow grin spread across his face. "I get to see my daughter again?" Even Vegeta looked shocked as realization set in. After thirteen years of being dead he was going to be resurrected again. 

            "Get some rest. I suspect you'll need it once you get back to Earth." Shin suggested to the fighters. "You five…" Shin turned on the five Kais. "See if you can't find something useful to do. Maybe try and find this power on your own. Even if we know which quadrant it's in it will help." He focused on Earth. He could feel Pan was worrying. His chest tightened. Thousands of years ago he had lost his family to an enemy. He hoped whatever this was his new family could stay out of it…

            He placed his fingers to his forehead and disappeared.

            Pan was pacing back and forth in the living room when suddenly Shin reappeared. Naturally he had to reintegrate right where she was standing…

            "Ow." She tripped over him. "What happened?" she demanded. He looked grim.

            "A possible problem."

            "How big a problem?" she asked. He took a deep breath.

            "We need to find the Dragonballs. The Z fighters are coming back." Pan's eyes widened. 

            "It's that bad?" She had grown used to the idea the Z fighters weren't coming back and that she, Trunks and Shin were now the Earth's defense.

            "Well, that and it turns out they didn't choose to stay dead. That idiot North Kai didn't think to tell them the dragon had been resurrected." He glared. Pan stared at him.

            "You're kidding!" For the last two years she'd simply thought the Z warriors had decided to move on. All this time her father and the others could have been returned to them…"I'm going to pulverize him." She ground her teeth.

            "Wait in line." Shin growled. Pan hid a smile. Although he was a powerful fighter he was not a very intimidating person, no matter how angry he was. Fortunately he seemed too distracted to pick up her thoughts.

            "I need to get over to the Capsule Corp and talk to Bulma. Will you and Videl look for the Dragonballs?" he asked. She blinked. 

            "Sure. No problem." Her excitement over her father coming back was overshadowing the danger Shin had spoken of. He must have sensed this.

            "Pan this could be dangerous. We have no idea what this new threat is but it's enough for the Kais to summon me back and East Kai believes it is more than the Z fighters can handle at the moment." Pan nodded and tried to look serious but found it difficult. Surely with her, Shin, Trunks, Gohan, Vegeta and Goku nothing could be a threat!

            The two of them transported to the Son household where they were greeted by several hungry people.

            "Where have you been? Don't you know the elderly have to eat at regular intervals?" Roshi demanded. 

            "What is it?" Videl asked immediately. She knew Pan well enough to be able to tell when something was wrong. She turned to Shin.

            "You'd better tell them. I'll help Grandma bring out the food."

            "You're going to eat now?" he asked incredulously.

            "Well if I'm going to search for the Dragonballs I'll need to keep my strength up won't I?" she said defensively. She hadn't eaten all day. Well…not since lunch anyway. He shook his head in exasperation but began telling the story.

            Pan and the others ate while Shin talked. Chichi of course fainted when he announced Goku and Gohan were coming back, and then she promptly burst into tears. Now she was panicking because she looked so much older than Goku would. Pan sighed and reached for another bowl of food. Trunks reappeared into the room holding the Dragon radar. As soon as Shin had mentioned the Dragonballs he IT'd home to get it.

            Bulma seemed strangely calm.

            "The energy detector may be able to help. I'll need to get straight home to work on it if you want it for…tomorrow?" she said. Shin nodded.

            "If it is possible. Pan, Videl, when you are ready…"

            "Hmm?" Pan looked up from her dinner. He gave her a flat stare.

            "The Dragonballs?" he reminded her.

            "Oh yeah! Hang on." She gulped down the last of her food and stood up from the table. She went to take her small pile of bowls into the kitchen. He grabbed them off her.

            "I'll get it! Just go!" Shin told her. Videl was standing by the doorway chuckling. Pan glared at him and went to exit the room, then changed her mind and quickly zipped into the kitchen, picked up an apple, and then decided to leave before he told her off again. Videl was already hovering in mid-air waiting for her.

            "You know you really should take this a bit more seriously." She commented. Pan raised an eyebrow.

            "This from the woman who called Buu a marshmallow?" she countered. Her mother looked away.

            "Point."

            "It's hard to be scared now I know Dad's coming back." She said. 

            "True. And from what I heard Goku over the last few years we should be pretty safe." Pan bit into her apple as they flew.

            "Hmm. I'll bet he's not as strong as Trunks and I. Well, maybe Trunks." She said haughtily. 

            "If I didn't know better I'd think you had gotten a big head." Videl commented. Suddenly the radar started beeping. "There's one…typical!" she sighed. Of course it was laying on the edge of an active volcano! "You're going to have to have a talk with Dende about this!" she grumbled. Pan grinned.

            "Yeah. You get that one and I'll go on ahead and find the next one." From the look of the radar it was in Antarctica. She knew she should have brought a jacket!

            "Right. See you later!" Videl floated back down to Earth as Pan powered up and flew quickly towards the South Pole.

            Trunks stood on one side of his mother's chair while Shin stood on the other. He didn't mean to crowd her but he was curious as to what she was doing. She had a small circular device that looked something like the Dragon radar hooked up to her keyboard. She was busily tapping away just as she had been for the last two hours or so.

            "You know this is going to take a while. You two should sit down." Bulma suggested. Neither of them moved. She was talking to herself as she worked. "Now this wire goes in there…no not here…where the hell did that screw come from? Oh…right…No! Computer don't do that!" she shouted and hit the monitor as it froze again. "Damn! Now I'm going to have to reprogram the thing!" Trunks could feel a migraine coming on. He was a capable scientist but what his mother was doing was far over his head. After he leaned over to get a better view she slowly turned her chair to face him.

            "I've hinted and I've asked you nicely. Now go away! I don't want to see you in here again!" she shouted. Trunks fell backwards, startled. "You too! Go on! Go blow up the gravity room again or something." She shouted at the Supreme Kai. He blinked.

            "Sorry." He moved away hastily and they both retreated to the gravity chamber. Trunks didn't feel much like training. Fortunately he added a few modifications of his own to the room…

            He turned on the television screen and started flicking through the channels. Shin sat cross-legged on the ground looking at him.

            "Aren't you the least bit worried?" he asked. Trunks left the screen on a Star Trek re-run and turned to him.

            "A bit. But we've been through this stuff before and come through all right. Besides, with the Z fighters, you, Pan and I we can't lose!"

            "You know they're not as strong as you and Pan." Shin commented. Trunks blinked.

            "It makes sense. They never needed to ascend…but then if they need to train the Hyperbolic Time Chamber is still there." Trunks said. Shin nodded.

            "True."

            "We don't even know if this threat warrants all the worry. So just relax!" Trunks lay back on the floor.

            "I don't feel right not doing anything while Pan and Videl are looking for Dragonballs and your mother is sitting up working on that device." Shin was a nice guy but he really needed to learn to relax.

            "Mom hasn't had this much fun in years. And Videl and Pan are probably having the time of their lives. Just sit back and watch TV." Trunks advised as Captain Kirk set out to save the galaxy once again…


	2. 2

Disclaimer: See previous chapter J

Author's note: Thanks for reading. I won't be updating for a few days. I have Uni assessments due next week that I haven't started yet, and I like leaving you all in suspense…ok. Time to up the dosage again. Mmm. Medication…

            Pan met up with her mother again over Australia just after finding the sixth Dragonball hidden at the base of Uluru (a.k.a Ayers Rock).

            "Damn him! Next time we're going to Capsule Corp and those two layabouts can go look for the Dragonballs!" she shouted. Videl, having just flown there from Stonehenge, couldn't agree more.

            "Yes. Well we've got six, plus the one at Chichi's place…that makes seven!" Videl yawned and stretched. She looked at her watch. It was just about daybreak back home. The two of them concentrated on Capsule Corp and reappeared in Bulma's lab. 

            She was still tapping on her keyboard.

            "How's it going?" Pan asked. Bulma yawned. 

            "Hmm? I've finished. Ages ago." She replied.

            "What are you doing then?"

            "Chatting. This guy here says he had an alien encounter." She gestured to her screen. Bulma laughed. "Ha! My encounter resulted in a purple-haired baby with a tail!"

            "Uh huh." Pan wasn't sure what the appropriate reaction to that was. Videl was trying to cover up a smile. 

            "I'll go and get the last Dragonball and get a couple of hours sleep. We'll be over around midday." She said. Bulma nodded.

            "We should meet at the Lookout." She said before the other woman disappeared. Bulma turned off the computer. "Come on. Let's see how much damage those two have done to my gravity room." She sighed.

            They walked outside to find it unusually quiet. 

            Bulma grinned. 

            "I'm impressed. Not one broken window." She said happily before opening the door. Pan stopped short at the sight before her. 

            "Stay tuned for another episode in the twelve-hour-marathon of Star Trek." The voice over on the television said. Trunks was passed out on the floor with the remote in his hand and his hair all over his face. Shin was similarly positioned with his head resting on the taller man's stomach. 

            "How cute." Bulma muttered sleepily. Pan saw red. Instantly she powered up and shot a ki-blast at them.

            "ARE YOU QUITE COMFORTABLE?" she roared. The both jumped and sat up. Shin was terrified.

            "Oh you're back." He stammered. She glared at him.

            "Yes, I'm back!" she said quietly. Trunks was fighting down a grin. "You think this is funny Trunks? Well guess what. Your mother and I are both exhausted from working all night. Now you two are cooking us breakfast." She announced. They both blinked at her. "Come on Bulma. We both need a break."

            "Hmm? Oh. All right." She yawned and allowed Pan to herd her out of the GR. 

            Trunks and Shin moved around the kitchen gathering food and generally getting in each others' way. The two women were sitting on the sofa in the living room passed out after a long night's work. Shin was obviously still feeling guilty and had a very sheepish expression on his face. Trunks found the whole thing very funny. Well, except for where Pan had singed his hair with that energy blast. 

            The two of them stared at the pile of eggs, fruit, bread and canned items gathered from cupboards.

            "Well…" Trunks wasn't much of a cook. "I suppose the eggs should be…cooked somehow." He stared blankly at a saucepan and then back to the eggs. Shin was looking very thoughtful.

            "Well…there is something I learned how to do a while back." He mused. Trunks grew more interested. Maybe he could create food out of thin air, the same way Piccolo created clothing. Shin looked at him and chuckled, reading his thoughts again, and walked over to the telephone and pushing a few buttons. He started speaking. "I would like to order…twelve pizzas for the Capsule Corporation."

            After a greasy, unhealthy but satisfying breakfast it seemed Pan had forgiven them. Her excitement over seeing Gohan may also have had something to do with it. She was now rummaging through Bulma's wardrobe looking for something to wear.

            "No…too formal. Not formal enough…Bulma!" she burst out laughing and held something black and lacey out of the doorway. Bulma stopped pacing with the other two and hastily grabbed it. Trunks shuddered. She glared at him.

            "Well your father never complained." She said stiffly. 

            "No! Mom I've told you not to tell me that stuff!" he shook his head fiercely trying to get rid of the mental image of her wearing that. Shin coughed and looked away, fighting a valiant battle against a laugh.

            "Do you have anything else Bulma?"

            "No! Just pick something! It's eleven o'clock!" Trunks shouted. Females! Shin's eyes flashed and there was a startled shout from inside the room.

            "Very funny." Pan said. 

            "It's good enough. Let's go!" he called. She emerged from the room in a purple, white and blue version of the Kai's uniform. Trunks didn't understand the whole dress-up thing. He was happy in his Capsule Corp jacket. As was Bulma. Trunks frowned. He thought she'd be just as nervous as Pan and Chichi, since Vegeta was coming back, but she seemed calmer than anyone else.

            Trunks took hold of his mother's arm and the four of them transported to the Lookout. 

            There was already a large gathering there. Chichi, Videl, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, Dende and Mr. Popo were already sitting around chatting quietly. Trunks grinned. He should have known no one would wait for midday to get there. The seven Dragonballs were all gathered together and their light was pulsating, waiting for the dragon to be summoned.

            "Well it's about time!" Chichi shouted. "My Goku and Gohan are coming back and you four take your sweet time getting here! I thought you'd know better than that Pan! Come here!" Without giving the girl time to respond she pounced and used the Grandma Straightening Clothes attack.

            "Grandma quit it! Hey Dende. How are you?" Pan greeted the green alien.

            "Never better, thankyou. Are we all ready now?" Trunks looked around. Everyone was gathered there.

            "Yes." Pan pulled away from her grandmother and stood next to Shin. Dende faced the Dragonballs.

            "I summon the Eternal Dragon." He said simply. The seven balls began to pulse brighter and the sky darkened. Beams of light shot up into the air and took the form of a dragon, which transformed into solid matter leaving a glowing-eyed creature staring down at them.

            "I am the Eternal Dragon, and I will grant you two wishes." It said in a deep voice which shook the ground. Dende looked around at the others.

            "I wish for the one named Goku to be brought back to life." He said.

            "That wish cannot be granted. He has already been brought back from the next dimension once." It said. Fortunately Dende had thought it through.

            "Yes it can. You were under the control of Kami then. I am Dende. Using my power you can bring Goku back to life."

            "Unacceptable." It argued.

            "You could only grant one wish back then. You can now grant two, and they are more powerful. You are not the same dragon. Now I wish you to bring Goku back to life."

            "No. I will not." Trunks had an idea.

            "Dragon! I wish you to return the one called Kakarott to life!" he shouted. The dragon's eyes dimmed. It was thinking. Almost as if he were trying to find some technicality to refuse them with.

            "Your wish has been granted." He said at last. 

            "All right!" Bulma squeezed his hand. "I knew I had you for a reason!"

            "Thanks." He said wryly as a glowing figure appeared in front of them. A spiky-haired outline appeared and solidified into Goku.

            He stood there looking around at everyone. Then he reached up over his head and waved his hand around. He looked down at his hands and then pinched himself on the arm. Hard. 

            "Ow!" he said, startled. With excited cries Bulma, Chichi, Master Roshi, Oolong and Puar rushed forward and all tried to hug him at the same time. Trunks stood back watching the gathering with folded arms. He wasn't part of that group. At least not yet. Pan and Shin stood back also watching. The dragon made a sound as if clearing its throat.

            "You have one wish remaining." It said impatiently. Goku, still with his arms around Chichi and Bulma, shouted up at it.

            "I wish that all the warriors killed by Dr. Gero's androids be restored to life!" Instantly several glowing figures appeared on the tower. They all looked around in disbelief, as if they hadn't expected it to work. Gohan recovered first. 

            "Mom! Videl!" he shouted and was rushed by both of them. Trunks smiled. The others were standing together in a group as if unwilling to approach the others. Trunks looked at Vegeta. He looked just as he did in the alternate timeline. Rather short with outrageous hair and Saiyan combat suit. He was looking at the three of them and frowning.

            "Trunks!" Gohan shouted and rushed over. Trunks received a semi-gentle blow to the chin and a strong hand gripping his shoulder. "You did it! I knew you could defeat those Androids." Trunks felt his face warming. He'd never expected to hear his Master congratulate him after seeing his broken body abandoned by the Androids. He squeezed his friend's hand, and then remembered something.

            "Right. Good to see you too." He said, before sinking his fist into the older man's stomach. He doubled over. "That was for knocking me out that time!" he announced. 

            "You really do hold a grudge, don't you?" Gohan gasped. Trunks caught another glimpse of Vegeta. He was staring absolutely dumbstruck, only just realizing this was his son standing in front of him. He knew what to do this time. In the alternate timeline Vegeta had taken…well technically a couple of years to show any kind of feeling towards him. So this time Trunks would keep his distance. He gave a half-smile and inclined his head once before turning back to Gohan. 

            "I'd like to introduce you to someone. Gohan…this is Pan." He motioned for Pan to come forward. She had been hanging back with Shin looking as though she would rather not be noticed. Gohan's eyes widened.

            "Pan?" he said. She slowly moved forwards and took his outstretched hand. Suddenly she threw herself forward and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. For the first time in a long time she was speechless. 

            Trunks looked around at everyone. Chichi had Goku in a death-grip and wasn't letting go. Krillin was talking excitedly with Master Roshi. Piccolo and Dende were talking quietly. Gohan was still being smothered by Videl and Pan. Shin looked lost. As for his parents…uh oh.

            Vegeta watched the scene before him. He couldn't believe after all this time he was alive again. He gritted his teeth. If only Kakarott hadn't stopped him from killing that damned King Kai!

            The purple haired boy…Trunks…his son was standing with Gohan and his family. He had smiled and nodded once but kept his distance. That had surprised Vegeta, but he dismissed it. It was best if the boy stayed away anyway. 

            Speaking of the boy…

            Bulma was staring straight at him. She moved away from Kakarott and was walking straight towards him. Vegeta wasn't sure what to do. Though he would admit it to no one he had missed her. But he didn't want her to make a scene either…

            She stopped right in front of him. She looked a bit older but was still just as attractive. She opened her mouth and…

            "Vegeta you muscle-bound idiot! I told you not to go and fight those Androids but _you wouldn't listen! Well I hope you'll admit you were wrong for once! Thanks to your stupid behavior I had to raise our son all on my own!" she shouted. Vegeta almost flinched. He should have been expecting that._

            "Can it! I just got back from being dead for thirteen years. The last thing I want to see is some moronic human female shouting in my face!" he growled. Well, now that the pleasantries were over with… "Who is that?" he gestured to the younger girl standing with Gohan.

            "It's Pan. Gohan's daughter." Bulma answered. Vegeta stared. She was quite short, not much taller than Gohan's mate, Videl. But she had Gohan's eyes. And…he looked again. Was that a tail? It was flicking excitedly from side-to-side. "Yes. She kept it to remind her of Gohan." Vegeta glanced at Trunks briefly but he saw no furry appendage on him. He covered up his disappointment. "She's only one quarter Saiyan but I'd say she's more like one than Trunks is. So damned competitive. You two would get along just great." She added. Vegeta scowled.

            "I have no time for children, my own or anyone else's." He announced. They were silent for a while. 

            "So do you have somewhere to stay or are you squatting at my place again?" she asked. 

            "That depends. Won't your new mate be jealous?" he spat. She blinked.

            "News flash. I don't have one." She answered. Vegeta half-smiled. That answered the question foremost on his mind.

            "I should have known. You're too old to attract a mate now. You're lucky I came back." 

            "Bite me." She turned and walked off. Vegeta allowed himself a smile. He _had missed her. _

            Shin decided to give everyone a few hours before getting down to business. When he had met the Z-fighters in Otherworld they had seemed like a serious lot, but now they were one big, noisy family.

            Chichi hadn't had time to cook so they all went to Capsule Corp, even Dende and Mr. Popo. They had ordered enough take-out to feed an army and it looked like they were going to need it. He'd always thought Pan ate a lot but compared to the others…well Goku was on his fifteenth bowl and that was just the entrée. 

            "I'll never get used to that." Piccolo said, looking even greener than usual. Shin had never met him or Kami before they died and decided to fuse in Otherworld but he found the tall green man's quiet manner a relief after being caught in the middle of a group of gossiping humans. 

            When all the food was served and all were eating slightly slower Trunks began to tell the story about his battles with Cell and the Androids in the Alternate reality. For the first time that evening Pan left her father's side and sat down on the floor next to Shin. They listened in silence to the story they had hard several times before. At the end of it Gohan jumped up. 

            "All right! I defeated Cell!" he shouted before turning to the other two Saiyans. "Ha! Now you two can stop competing because _I am the most powerful fighter in the universe!" he announced. Shin almost choked on a laugh. That was so much like Pan it was scary. Speaking of whom…_

            "I hate to disappoint you Father, but that title belongs to me." She announced. Vegeta choked on his meal.

            "Impossible! You're not even half Saiyan!"

            "Maybe, but I kicked your son's a…" she spotted Chichi glaring at her "…rear end at the tournament last year." She finished. Trunks turned bright red.

            "You won on a technicality." He argued.

            "She did not!" Videl shouted. 

            "Did too! My son could beat your daughter any day of the week!" Bulma shouted.

            "Fine! A re-match!"

            "No!" Shin interrupted when it looked like the two warriors were going to be forced to fight by their insane relatives. "We have more important things to discuss. You can fight later!" Trunks looked relieved. Pan looked disappointed. Goku was laughing his head off. Shin gritted his teeth. 

            "I have spoken to the Kais earlier on this evening. They all agree the energy they've been sensing is in the South quadrant of the universe." 

            "Would that make it someone else's problem?" Krillin asked hopefully.

            "No." Shin said. "They've been able to narrow it down to a relatively small section of the quadrant."

            "How small?" Gohan asked.

            "Two thousand solar systems."

            "Oh well I'm glad they've done such a good job." Vegeta sneered. Bulma threw a pizza box at him.

            "Eat. At least you're quiet when you eat."

            "Anyway." These people were impossible! "Bulma, could your scanner help us?"

            "Yes. And coupled with Pan's work on the space craft we should be able to get there within a few weeks."

            "But if we use the IT to get us into the general vicinity is shouldn't take long to get there at all." Trunks suggested. 

            "Good idea. How big is the craft?" Shin asked.             

            "Big enough for three people. Maybe four depending how friendly everyone is."

            "Well Vegeta will be staying here that's for sure." Krillin muttered.

            "Shut up Baldy."

            "How soon can we leave?" Pan asked.

            "It's ready now. We can leave tomorrow if we feel like it." Bulma said. That sounded better. 

            "Who's going?" Goku asked. There was silence.

            "The four strongest fighters of course. Myself, Trunks, Gohan and you." Vegeta said. Pan cleared her throat.

            "You may want to revise that list." She said. 

            Pan gave a chilly smile and began to power up.

            "Hey! That's it! All fighters out of the house!" Bulma shouted. Goku stood up and everyone followed him outside.

            Instantly Pan began to gather energy and turn Super Saiyan. Shin watched her. She was an incredible sight powered up and it was good to watch her and know she wasn't going to come and beat him to a pulp in the gravity room. 

            Vegeta sneered. 

            "Is that all you've got?" he asked. She yelled and ascended. Her hair grew longer and spikier and sparks flickered up and down her body. The newcomers all stared in disbelief. Even Vegeta was speechless.

            "All right Pan!" Gohan shouted excitedly. Trunks stood forward and began to power up too. 

            "Who do you think trained her?" he asked as he also ascended. Goku stared at the two of them. 

            "Hmm…so I guess I'm not number one anymore. Still three's not that bad I suppose." He laughed. Trunks looked down.

            "Actually…you're number four. Sorry." He gestured for Shin to step forward. With a deep breath Shin began to power up. His body went through no major transformations but his aura glowed silver and he could feel his eyes glowing as he reached maximum power.

            The other fighters looked amazed. Except for Vegeta. He looked furious.

            "Well why the hell did you bother resurrecting us?" he demanded. 

            "Because the power the Kais felt is more powerful than any of us." Shin answered.

            "But if you're that strong…" Gohan began. Trunks cut in.

            "We both know of a place where you can train for a whole year in one day. I'd say it's time to give it a go." He said quietly. Goku's eyes widened.

            "Right." He said, looking pale. "The hyperbolic time chamber."

            "We need to start as soon as possible." Shin started.

            "No we don't." Gohan cut in. Shin looked at him.

            "We've been training and fighting for thirteen years straight. We've just been wished back from the dead. It can wait until morning." He said. There was a murmur of agreement. Shin bowed his head. Of course. He was being insensitive.

            "As you wish. We will make plans in the morning." He turned to leave.

            "Where are you going?" Pan asked.

            "I will talk to the Kais for a bit, see if they know anything." He said. "I'll be back soon." She smiled.

            "I'll come with you." Piccolo said. "Someone needs to keep Dende informed."

            "Right. I'll see you all in the morning." Shin bowed to the small gathering, smiled at Pan and then transported them both to Planet Kaioshin.


	3. 3

Pan spent the next few hours with her family and friends feeling happier than she had ever been before. Now Trunks was telling the in-depth version of how they defeated Buu. Gohan choked when he talked about the fusions.

            "Panshin? Videnks? I can't imagine what that looked like!" he chuckled.

            "Just imagine Trunks with black hair and Mom's gym clothes." Pan laughed. Trunks raised an eyebrow. 

            "Oh yeah? Well purple isn't exactly your colour either." He countered. 

            "Anyway, the end of the story is that out of all of us, Mom saved the day." Pan finished the story. Videl blushed.

            "Nah. It was Trunks really. It was his power we used." She dismissed their praise.

            "You invented a brand new energy blast on the spot that vaporized the creature! Trunks was just there to lend some brute strength to the brains of the operation." Pan argued.

            "Thanks." Trunks said wryly. 

            "So what do you think of this new enemy we're supposed to be fighting?" Goku asked after a while.

            "Sounds just like Dr. Gero and the Androids to me." Trunks said.

            "Maybe another Cell." Pan suggested. Trunks shrugged.

            "Not a problem. Cell was nothing compared to Buu."

            "I don't think the Supreme Kai would be this worried if it were just another Cell." Goku mused. 

            "True." Pan agreed. Shin could take Cell on by himself these days.

            The recently resurrected warriors told stories of their battles over the last thirteen years or so. Chichi fell asleep leaning on Goku's shoulder. Vegeta seemed content to let the others talk while he listened looking disinterested. Every now and then he would glance in Trunks' or Bulma's direction. 

            She really wanted to take her father outside and spar for a while to see how strong he was but there seemed to be a general understanding that there would be no fighting that evening. There would be time enough for that in the morning. 

            At about one o'clock in the morning Goku yawned.

            "I don't know about you guys but I'm beat. I'll see you all tomorrow okay?" He gathered Chichi up and prepared to transport. "It's been good to see you all. Nice meeting you two." He gestured to Trunks and Pan and then disappeared.

            "Sounds like a good idea…uh, Videl? Where do we live?" Gohan asked. Pan laughed.

            "I live with your mother, but we may need a place of our own now." She said. He nodded. 

            "Well, you want to go for a fly?"

            "Sure. You coming Pan?" Videl asked.

            "No thanks." Pan guessed they may want to be alone for a while. "I'm going to get some sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow's going to be a big day." She said. The two of them flew out a convenient window. Pan stood up. 

            "I guess I'm going…somewhere." She guessed her grandparents wouldn't really want her at home tonight either. Bulma solved her problem.

            "You can crash here if you want. We've got heaps of spare rooms."

            "Thanks." Pan said brightly. She'd sleep in the gravity room. There was a TV in there too. "See you guys later. Nice to meet you Vegeta." She said. He gave the slightest nod in her direction. 

            She heard the others go their separate ways as she left. Though she acted casual this new threat worried her. What could have Shin so worked up? 

            No. With the power she and Trunks had reached nothing could possibly rival them. And after the others trained up for a while there would be many more of them with Ascended Saiyan-level power. Nothing could defeat them!

            She fell into an uneasy sleep filled with dreams about faceless enemies.

            Vegeta woke up the next morning to find Bulma lying next to him. It was strange to see her there after thirteen years. Strange but not unpleasant. She was a beautiful female and he cared about her deep down…he just preferred her when she was asleep.

            He got up, put on a pair of training shorts and shoes and went downstairs to raid the refrigerator to find Pan already there.

            "Oh hi. You want some breakfast?" she asked. She was holding various packages of food. He grunted.

            "Okay. I'll take that as a 'yes'." She said and began to prepare the meal. It smelled quite good. She set down a large plate in front of him and began to eat her own. Bulma used to make pancakes but hers weren't as good as these. 

            "Thankyou." He said shortly as she cleared the plates away. She grinned.

            "So you do talk. I was starting to wonder." She commented. He watched her clean up.

            "So what's with that absurd looking outfit?" he asked. She was wearing something similar to the Supreme Kai's uniform. She laughed.

            "I was taking too long to choose an outfit yesterday so Shin chose one for me. I kinda like it…but don't tell him that." She said. Shin? He made no comment. "Hey do you want to go train 'til the others wake up?" Vegeta looked at the clock on the wall. Six o'clock. And if his son was anything like Bulma he wouldn't be up for a while.

            "I train alone." He said, more out of habit than anything. Pan raised an eyebrow.

            "That's too bad. I was going to use the gravity machine and I thought you might like to try." She suggested. Vegeta was interested.

            "Gravity eh?"

            After taking a few minutes to get used to the one hundred and fifty times gravity he traded a few blows with Pan. She had no trouble blocking him but it didn't feel right attacking a female.

            "Come on. I know you can do better than that." She goaded. She stripped off her two outer layers and rolled up the sleeves of her purple combat suit. Vegeta blinked as she powered up. Man but those were some muscles she had there! He hurriedly turned Super Saiyan as she flew at him.

            He lost track of time after a while. She was far more powerful than he was but at least she didn't go soft on him or pretend they were evenly matched. Knowing she was so powerful made it feel even better every time Vegeta landed a blow. He was looking forward to entering this Hyperactive Time Chamber or whatever it was called. He wanted to ascend to the next level just like she and Trunks had. 

            Speaking of whom…

            The gravity returned to normal suddenly and Vegeta was propelled upwards into the ceiling before crashing down again to the floor. He growled.

            "Sorry. I should have warned you about that. Hi Trunks." Pan said cheerfully. Vegeta looked up from the floor. A fine impression he must have made. 

            "I was coming in here to train but it looks like you beat me to it." 

            "I'll go if you like and you two can have a go." Pan suggested. Vegeta shook his head.

            "No. I would rather see what the two of you can do." He said standing against the wall with his arms crossed. It was time to see the true power of an Ascended Saiyan. 

            The two locked eyes. Trunks' smirk was so familiar it startled Vegeta. Despite the purple hair the boy looked just like him! Pan had Gohan's features and a slightly more bloodthirsty grin than her predecessors had. The two powered up in perfect time and proceeded to beat each other to a bloody pulp.

            Now Vegeta understood why they argued about the World Tournament so heatedly. Their power was almost identical! It was just like seeing Goku, Gohan and himself. No one could outdo the others for long. He couldn't help staring at Trunks as he fought. Why had the female chosen to keep her tail, yet Trunks had not?

            Trunks had Pan on the ground in a perfect head-lock when another power entered the room. The three Saiyans turned to see the Supreme Kai standing there.

            "Hi Shin!" Pan said cheerfully from her awkward position on the floor. 

            "I'd say Trunks has won this time, wouldn't you?" he said. She glared.

            "I was just about to make my move." She growled. Vegeta chuckled.

            "Sure you were." He commented. Trunks looked startled and then let the girl go. She straightened her now torn and singed combat suit. 

            "What happened with the Kais?" she asked.

            "We think we know the sector now. We should be able to transport fairly close and be back within a day if necessary." He said. Vegeta folded his arms.

            "So who is going?" he asked. Shin blinked.

            "Why does everyone ask me these things?" he asked.

            "Well technically you are the Supreme Kai you know." Pan commented. He sighed.

            "So much for my vacation." Vegeta frowned. He had heard myths about the Supreme Kai as a boy on Planet Vegeta. Somehow he'd thought he would be more professional. Then again compared to the ridiculous Kais of Underworld he was the very image of a god…

            _Thankyou. A voice said in his mind. Vegeta jumped and the Kai gave a small smile. _

            _Damn! Why didn't someone tell me he could read minds? He thought furiously. _

            "It's still early. You want to train for a while?" Pan asked. He shook his head. 

            "No I want to be at full strength for the next week or so. I have a bad feeling about this. Make sure you don't tire yourself out either." He warned. She looked thoughtful.

            "You're right. Come on and I'll make you some breakfast." She offered. 

            "Breakfast?" Trunks queried. Pan glared.

            "You can get your own." She snapped. Vegeta smirked.           

            "So you'll cook for Shin and my father but not me? Is that right? Why?" he looked hurt. 

            "Because I like them. I don't like you." She said. Vegeta roared with laughter. This was a true Saiyan female all right!

            He watched as she cooked for them again. She would be the perfect mate for his son but she showed no interest in him at all. He frowned. Saiyan females usually chose their mates at about this age and surely Trunks was the obvious choice? He would surely be after her if he were Trunks' age and didn't have a certain green-haired attachment in his life.

            Around ten o'clock everyone was gathered in Bulma's living room which seemed to serve as a common meeting place. Shin stood in front of the television while the others sat or stood around. 

            "We need a scouting party to go out to the South Quadrant. We need at least one member of the team to be a scientist, the other to know the Instant Transmission technique. I suggest that while they are gone two recently resurrected fighters enter the Hyperbolic Time chamber for a while. I know that some of you will be reluctant to leave your loved ones so soon after meeting, so I will leave it up to you to figure out who goes where." He said simply. He didn't like ordering people around. Even when he did it seemed on this planet no one listened to him anyway. 

            "I know the IT technique. If no one else wants to go I guess I will." Gohan volunteered. Chichi was glaring daggers at him but he didn't seem to notice.

            "I'm the obvious choice of scientist." Bulma said. Gohan's face changed from agreeable to crestfallen. Shin probed his mind and saw memories of incessant nagging by the green-haired woman on the Planet Namek.

            "I'm a scientist too you know." Pan pointed out. Gohan looked positively cheerful at that announcement.

            "You're not going into outer space! Gohan went and came back a karate bum!"

            "Mom!"

            "I will go into the time chamber." Piccolo announced. 

            "Yeah me too." Krillin volunteered. "I need to train up a bit."

            In the end, after much bickering, it was agreed that Gohan, Pan and Goku would go. Aside from the problem of taking enough food Shin foresaw nothing wrong with that. 

            Two hours later they were all crowded around the space pod in the compound. It looked big enough to house the three Saiyans. They were all standing around saying 'goodbye' to everyone. Pan looked excited. Not only was this her first space journey bit she would be spending a fair bit of time alone with two relatives she had been hearing about all her life but never met. 

            She stood in front of him and grinned.

            "Well, I guess I'll see you soon." She said. 

            "You're only going for a day or two." Shin pointed out. She shrugged.

            "I know I know. I'm going to miss you anyway." She said. He wasn't sure what to say to that. He reached up and unclipped his earrings.

            "Just in case things get tough." He said as he handed them to her. She nodded and clipped them on. Fusion was usually a last-resort solution but he wasn't going to risk losing her or the others. He couldn't imagine a force capable of challenging two fused Saiyans.

            "Thankyou." She said and quickly brush-kissed his cheek. 

            He stood back and folded his arms as the craft took off. There went three of the most powerful fighters in the universe, headed off to face who knew what danger.

            No doubt they would have the time of their lives. Shin was still worried though. It was in his nature to worry. _Be careful! He thought forcefully to the three Saiyans. _

            There was nothing to do now but wait.

I know it's a bit short and not much happened but hey, in the middle of assessment period this is as good as you're going to get J

Thanks for all the reviews people!         


	4. 4

_Space: The Final Frontier, thought Pan as they rematerialized in the South Quadrant thanks to her grandfather's Instant Transmission. She looked out of the viewports at the strange constellations. _

            "Wow." She said out loud. She had never really thought about how many stars were out there.

            "Yeah. I was about six when I first went into outer space. Our ship wasn't this nice though. Did you really design this?" Gohan asked. Pan grinned.

            "Mostly. Bulma took command in some areas." She replied.

            "I bet I know what they were." Goku said cheerfully as he stared at the cappuccino maker. 

            "Anything on the scanner yet?" she asked her father. He was staring at a screen Bulma had installed overnight. 

            "Nothing yet." He replied.

            "All right. Point the dish due north and we'll take it from there." That was the good thing about knowing the Supreme Kai personally. How many people could there be who knew where the North of the universe was?

            "Got it." He answered and tapped a few buttons. Nothing happened. The dish slowly spun on its axis. It wasn't detecting anything. Goku looked bored.

            "Do you think maybe they got it wrong and it was you guys the Kais were sensing all along?" he asked. Pan laughed.

            "I don't think Kibito or Shin would be that stupid. Now the other Kais…" Pan mused. Gohan yelped.

            "Hey! I think we've got something!" he exclaimed. Pan rushed over to look. A red blip was showing up on the screen. 

            "Where is it?" she asked. Gohan stared at it.

            "Um…about an hour away I think. Heading north-east from here." Pan looked at the readouts and nodded.

            "How powerful is it?" Goku asked curiously. Pan typed in a few commands. A graph came up. Columns rose and fell as the scanner calculated the power level of the unknown threat.

            "This is yours and father's. This one's mine." She pointed to three separate bars. Hers was significantly higher than theirs. And this is…" she fell speechless as the last bar stopped moving. It was enormous, even by her standards. At least twice hers. Then the bar began to flash red and it fizzled out.

            "What happened?" Gohan asked. Pan stared in shock.

            "It's off the scale." She said, horrified. This wasn't fun anymore.

            "That's impossible! How could there be someone more powerful than you?" Goku exclaimed. 

            "I don't know." Pan answered. Shin was meant to be the most powerful warrior in the universe back before the fight with Buu. She had more than surpassed him. So had Trunks. Since then the three of them had trained together and all of them were around double the power of an Ascended Saiyan. How could there be a more powerful being out there?

            "Maybe the scanner's wrong." Gohan said hopefully. Pan shook her head.

            "No. Bulma's been working on this for months." There was silence in the cockpit.

            "Well…let's go take a look. We don't know that this guy's hostile." Goku suggested.

            "Dad, how many powerful aliens do you know have turned out to be friendly?" Gohan said. Goku scratched his head.

            "Well…Piccolo's a good guy."

            "He tried to kill you and take over the world."

            "Oh yeah." He laughed. "I forgot. What about Vegeta…never mind." 

            "We should still take a look. We won't know what to do if we don't know what we're meant to be fighting." Pan said. 

            "All right. But suppress your power levels." Gohan suggested. Pan complied and felt Goku do the same. The ship hurtled through space to the system the computer had picked up.

            The sun was a blue giant and put a fair bit of strain on the shields. There were ten planets orbiting it. Three were habitable, if somewhat higher in gravity than Earth. 

            "So which one do we pick?" Goku asked. 

            "The one furthest out is cooler." Gohan said. The temperature was rising inside the ship.

            The thrusters fired and the ship entered orbit of the planet. Pan zoomed in on the main landmasses.

            "Trees. Rocks. More rocks…no cities or anything. Wait! What's that?" Pan spotted something that didn't belong.

            "It looks like a dome of some kind." Gohan said. It was brown and almost blended in with the planet's surface. Now she knew what to look for Pan could see the surface dotted with the huge structures. 

            "Maybe they're giant termite hills." Goku said, peering at them.

            "I doubt giant termites could get this powerful." Gohan said. Pan could feel something in the back of her mind now. It was faint but she could feel a powerful presence. It was on the planet but it was also elsewhere.

            "It's not there. At least…not all of it. Let's try the middle planet." She turned the ship around and blasted towards the second life-supporting world. 

            This one had far more water on it than the last. Trees too. The domed structures were there but these ones were green and blended in with the vegetation. Each one had to be the size of a large city.

            "What are those things?" Goku asked as they passed a moon. 

            "Maybe domed cities." Pan suggested. 

            "Should we land?" Goku suggested.

            "No! We're not strong enough to fight whatever it is." Gohan argued.

            "But if we keep our powers suppressed it won't know we're there." Pan pointed out. Gohan thought about it for a few seconds.

            "All right." He agreed. The ship changed course again and passed another moon. Instantly the lighting turned red and alarms sounded.

            "What happened?" Gohan snapped.

            "Something's heading towards the ship!" Pan shouted and ran to the scanner consol. She'd expected an asteroid or something but a small energy bolt was traveling towards them. Small but fast. It hit the side of the ship with a thud.

            "That wasn't an energy blast. That came from a weapon of some kind." Pan shouted.

            "It wasn't very strong. We can take that." Goku said. 

            "But the ship can't! All we need is one hull breach and we're all dead!" Gohan exclaimed and raised the weak shields. 

            "Goku! Can you find your way back here with the IT?" Pan asked. Goku nodded.

            "Sure. I could even get you on one of the planets.

            "Great…what's that?" Pan looked out of the viewscreen. A small object was floating towards them, as if just launched from the moon they had passed. It was solid, not made of energy. The three of them stared as it got closer. It looked vaguely humanoid.

            "It's a person…wearing a space suit of some kind." Goku said. 

            "What's it doing?" It held out a hand, palm facing them.

            "I don't like this." Gohan said. Light flickered from its palm.

            "Look out!" Goku shouted as it shot small beams at them. Some bounced off the shields. Others hit the hull. More alarms sounded.

            "Is that what we came here for?" Pan demanded as she re-routed systems and fired the reverse thrusters. 

            "No way. It's not even as strong as Krillin!" Goku answered. The silver-clad figure put its hands together. A gold-white beam formed.

            "Dad get us out of here!" Gohan shouted. Goku rested his palms on the wall of the ship. The figure released the beam. 

            "Grandpa!" Pan shouted as it got closer and closer. She imagined she could feel the ship shudder from the impact just before it dematerialized and reappeared in orbit of Earth.

            She wasn't imagining it.

            "Hull breach!" she shouted. "Abandon ship!" The three of them disappeared and landed in the Capsule Corp compound.

            The place was deserted. Goku had thought the others would be waiting for them, but he remembered they weren't supposed to be back until that night at the earliest. Still they wouldn't be around for long. He could feel Vegeta training nearby…and Trunks was somewhere too. 

            He was still trying to figure out what had happened. They had gone searching for a power several times stronger than Pan, yet they had been chased off by someone no stronger than Krillin or Videl. It didn't make sense. 

            Vegeta was running out to meet them. Trunks wasn't far behind them.

            "What happened?" Trunks demanded.

            "We got into a bit of trouble." Goku replied.

            "Correct me if I'm wrong Kakarott, but didn't you leave in a space ship?"

            Goku quickly explained what had happened. 

            "Well obviously this high power would have lesser servants to do his bidding." Vegeta explained the whole situation. 

            "The moons had weapons installations on them. That was what attacked us the first time." Pan said. 

            "The figure was probably just a common soldier sent to destroy an intruder." Vegeta said. Goku frowned. There had been something about the soldier that bothered him but he couldn't quite think what it was.

            Suddenly the air shifted and Videl and the Supreme Kai appeared before them. Gohan repeated the story. The Kai looked worried. Then again every time Goku had seen him he looked worried.

            "If the Hive has become as powerful as you say then we're in worse trouble than I thought." He said. Vegeta snorted.

            "Well you were already predicting the end of all life as we know it. What more doom and gloom predictions can you come up with?" he demanded. Goku privately agreed with the arrogant Saiyan.

            "The Hive was just getting strong enough to worry about when you and Gohan destroyed them. But it survived somehow. Now somehow it's come back with more strength than even Pan or your Son. Of course it's bad!" The Kai snapped.

            "Hmm. I think you're overestimating them. Saiyans are the ultimate fighting force in the universe now." He said. Uh oh, thought Goku. He was off again…

            "You thought that thirteen years ago when you were killed by Androids." The Kai said quietly. Vegeta gritted his teeth. Goku jumped in.

            "Okay. Calm down Vegeta. This isn't helping. I'm sure we'll be able to handle this in time but for now let's not argue."

            "Agreed." Piccolo said from behind him. Goku jumped.

            "Hey Piccolo." Gohan greeted the alien. 

            "I think the important thing is for everyone to start training. Now. Krillin and Videl are in the time chamber now. They'll be out in an hour or so."

            "What are they doing in there?" Gohan asked. Piccolo gave him a flat stare.

            "Training. I thought it best to give them their turn while the room wasn't in demand. I have a feeling we'll need all the time we can get in there."

            "I'm going first." Vegeta announced. "I've faced the Hive before and they don't scare me."

            "Two at a time Vegeta. Who wants to go with him?" Piccolo asked. No one spoke up. Goku hid a grin. He would offer, but despite their thirteen years of relative friendship in the Otherworld, he was sure Vegeta wouldn't want to train with him. Goku guessed he just wasn't serious enough for Vegeta's taste.

            "I'll go." Gohan offered. Goku grinned. Gohan was a lot more serious than he was and more than enough of a challenge for the Saiyan prince. 

            "Right. We'll go straight to the Lookout." Vegeta announced. Gohan hesitated.

            "Uh…Vegeta?" he looked uncomfortable. "Can we eat first? I'm kinda hungry." He said. Goku burst out laughing. He may be a serious trainer but he sure had his Dad's appetite. Vegeta growled in frustration but reluctantly agreed. 

            Apparently Kakarott's mate had been expecting them because when they arrived there were huge platters of food piled up all over the house. 

            "All right!" Kakarott cried as he opened the door and saw the plates in front of him.

            "GOKU IF YOU TOUCH ANYTHING YOU'RE DEAD! YOU HEAR ME?" A high-pitched voice shouted from the kitchen. He stopped in his tracks.

            "Aww Chichi!" he complained.

            "I'm fifteen minutes away from finishing in here. You can eat then and only then! Same goes for you Gohan!" She shouted from out of view just as Gohan reached for a chicken leg on the table. He snatched his empty hand back hastily. Vegeta rolled his eyes. He was sure he heard a chuckle come from Piccolo. Pan stood back next to the Kai laughing at her father. Trunks sat down on the floor and turned the television on.

            "Is that all you do?" Vegeta asked him irritably. 

            "Well you were in the gravity room all morning. What else is there to do?" Trunks asked. Vegeta glared at him but didn't reply. _The room is big enough for two people, he thought. He wasn't sure what to make of his son. Sure he didn't want any emotional displays or signs of affection but Trunks barely looked in his direction let alone talk to him. Vegeta had more conversations with Pan than with him so far!_

            When the female finally finished in the kitchen the Son family dug in. Three generations of Sons sat around the table shoveling food into their faces. Vegeta sat and ate slowly. He would never get used to Gohan and Goku eating. At least Pan and his son had some manners. 

            "This is great Chichi! I really missed your cooking…and you of course!" he hastily added when she glared at him. He had rice in his hair. Piccolo and the Kai stood back from the table watching.

            "You could lose an arm in there." The Kai commented.

            "Tell me about it!" Piccolo growled. 

            They finished and Vegeta stacked his bowls neatly in front of him. Pan and Trunks carried them into the kitchen. 

            "You want some help washing up?" Trunks offered. Chichi smiled.

            "Thankyou Trunks. It's nice to know someone here was brought up properly." She said, glaring at her oblivious husband. The two youngest Saiyans stayed in the kitchen cleaning up. Vegeta stood up. 

            "Are you ready now kid?" he asked sarcastically. Gohan jumped to his feet.

            "Sure. Are you going to take us now Piccolo?" he asked, as if Piccolo had been the one holding them up.

            "Yes." He growled. Without a word to the others he walked out the door and took off. Vegeta followed him and felt the small Kai behind him a few minutes later. What did he want?

            "Are you going to train too?" Vegeta asked mockingly. Though his power level was through the roof he didn't look like much of a fighter. Vegeta guessed his power came from some other source.

            "We'll see." He said shortly. 

            "Why are you here anyway? Shouldn't you be on your own planet watching us mere mortals?"

            "For your information I am on leave." He said shortly.

            "And this is the universe's tourist destination?" Vegeta said sarcastically. He could feel Piccolo glaring at him but he just couldn't bring himself to take this guy seriously. 

            They stood outside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Gohan wasn't sure what to expect. It certainly wasn't a wooden door leading into an ordinary-looking building. Mr. Popo stood next to them as a crack appeared between the two doors. Brilliant white light flared and two short silhouettes appeared.

            Videl stood in the doorway blinking. Her clothes were in tatters.

            "Gohan?" she said. He blinked.

            "Are you all right?" he asked. She flew at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. 

            "I missed you!" she exclaimed. He held her awkwardly.

            "I've only been gone for eight hours or so." He laughed. The sun was just disappearing over the horizon. She blinked.

            "Eight hours? Wow. That place really works." She looked back at the doors. Krillin was standing there looking dazed. He looked as battered as Videl did.

            "We've been in there about four months." He said. Gohan's eyes widened.

            "No way! How did you go?" he asked. The two looked at each other and grinned. In unison they began to power up. A silvery aura surrounded them both and they began to glow.

            "Wow!" Gohan said, amazed. They went through no transformations; he doubted full humans did. But their power was incredible. At least as strong as Piccolo had been before he fused with Kami. He didn't know humans could go that high. They had at least doubled their power. "I'm impressed."

            "Wait! You're going in now?" Videl asked. Gohan nodded.

            "Yeah. Pan will tell you all about what happened. I have a feeling we're going to need all the time we can get in that room." She looked disappointed.

            "Yeah I suppose. Don't stay in too long. I haven't seen you for four months." She warned. Gohan laughed.

            "All right. Catch ya later." He followed Mr. Popo into the chamber. Vegeta followed behind him. 

            "There is food enough for a year…maybe slightly less for the two of you." He said. Gohan grinned.

            "The bath is through there, beds are here and you will train out there." He pointed vaguely out a door. "I will leave you now. Stay no longer than a year, or you will be sealed in here forever." Gohan's eyes widened. That didn't sound too good.

            "Fine. Let's get on with it." Vegeta snarled and stalked out to the training area. Gohan shrugged apologetically.

            "He's kinda high-strung. Thanks a lot Mr. Popo." He said. The shorter man left. 

            Gohan looked around his new and painfully bright temporary home. It was strange there. Hot, and the gravity wasn't right. 

            He followed Vegeta outside and was stunned. There was nothing out there! Just white light! Vegeta was, for once, speechless.

            "What is this place?" he asked after a while. Gohan could just shake his head. 

            "Vegeta. I think we should spend twenty hours in here. The others will probably need to use it too." 

            "What is it boy? Can't spend a year in here?" he said, but without his usual spite. 

            "I think I could…I know you could. But we need to get as strong as possible as quickly as possible. That includes us, Piccolo, my father and the others." Vegeta contemplated this.

            "When we reach the power level of our children we will leave." He decided. It sounded fair. Vegeta started to power up.

            "But for now, we came here to train." He said, turning Super Saiyan. Gohan followed suit. This was not going to be a holiday.


	5. 5

            It was agreed by those who were on the outside that Goku and Piccolo would go in next, followed by Trunks and Pan. Videl was flying back to Chichi's place with the others to wait for Gohan to finish. She was proud of her training. She had trained under high gravity before but never with such extreme conditions, or a person with a similar power level. The others always had to go easy on her but she and Krillin could punch each others lights out to the best of their abilities with no qualms whatsoever. 

            He had stopped shaving his head while in the Time Chamber and he looked quite odd with hair. When she'd asked him about it he'd said he was planning on meeting an old girlfriend and seeing if she was still single. Marron or something like that. She sounded like a bit of a bimbo, but whatever made him happy…

            She landed outside the house and was about to open the door when she heard Chichi shouting at someone inside. She listened and heard a strange male voice talking.

            "Look lady, I don't want any trouble. I just want to see Videl! Where is she?" he demanded. It sounded awfully familiar…No! It couldn't be!

            She threw the door open and stared in shock. 

            Hercule stood in the living room face to face with Chichi armed with a frying pan.

            "Dad!" She shouted. No way! How had this happened?

            Then she remembered Goku's wish. _I wish that all the warriors killed by Dr. Gero's androids be restored to life. Well Hercule had been a warrior…of sorts. And he had been killed by an Android…_

            "Videl!" he shouted and the next thing she knew she was being smothered by her overprotective father. "Videl! What happened? I was dead, wasn't I? That damned kid with the long hair stuck his hand right through my chest! How am I alive? What are you doing at that skinny kid's house? I couldn't find you at home and everyone stared at me like I was some kind of freak so I came looking for you and then this crazy woman attacked me with cooking utensils and…"

            "It's okay Dad." Videl hugged back. He was a clown, but she had missed him. She'd never even contemplated he might be brought back.

            Chichi, after determining this man wasn't a threat, made them sit down. 

            "Pan should be back in a few minutes. I sent her out to get some milk." She said. 

            "Who's Pan? What kind of a name is that?" Hercule asked. Chichi growled.

            "Actually Dad…she's your granddaughter."

            "WHAT?" He roared. "You have a child! Impossible! Who's the…IT'S THAT SKINNY KID ISN'T IT! I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

            "WHAT'S WRONG WITH MY SON?" Chichi roared back. "HE'S ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL FIGHTERS IN THE UNIVERSE AND IF HE HADN'T DIED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO HE WAS GOING TO GO TO COLLEGE AND BECOME A NEUROLOGIST!"           

            "Enough with the neurologist Grandma…who's this?" Pan asked as she walked through the door. Hercule was staring at her. She was wearing jeans and a shirt and would have looked almost completely normal…if not for the tail. He was speechless.

            "Pan…this is your grandfather." Videl introduced them. She blinked.

            "I thought grandpa was dead! Oh! The Dragonballs!" she figured it out. Shin was standing behind her. Apparently he'd stayed back out of the way during the shouting. _He really is as wise as they say, Videl thought wryly._

            "I imagine several warriors who were dead are now alive again. Goku should have been more selective in his wording."

            "There's no harm done." Videl said defensively.

            "Who are you?" Hercule demanded.

            "This is the Sup…" Videl began.

            "Shin." He interrupted and extended his hand. Hercule didn't take it.

            "Great. Another punk kid. Why don't you go get a haircut?" he sneered. Videl closed her eyes. Oh man!

            "Um, Shin is a friend of ours. He's a fighter too." Videl tried to smooth things over.

            "Fighter? Don't make me laugh. I'm the most powerful fighter on Earth…well I guess you've trained up a bit while I was gone. I guess I'll have to work out hard to surpass you, eh?" Pan glared.

            "I am the most powerful fighter on Earth, thankyou. And Shin could wipe the floor with you any day." She spat. Hmm. Clearly the family reunion was not going well…

            Fortunately Chichi came out at that moment with cups of tea and made everyone sit down. Shin tried to stay out of the way. Pan glared at her grandfather. Videl tried to keep the peace while Chichi chatted happily about everything that had happened since he died. 

            He clearly believed none of it.

            "One kid defeated the Androids? I don't think so. If I couldn't do it they would have had to use a whole army."

            "Yes Dad." Videl said tiredly. There was no point reasoning with him. Pan was becoming less and less impressed with her grandfather.

            "I'm going up to the Lookout. Maybe Dad will be out early." She said. Videl nodded.

            "Yeah, sure go ahead." She left the room and Shin followed. Moments later they could be seen floating up into the night sky.

            "How'd they do that?" Hercule asked. 

            "We've been training hard." Videl tried to shrug it off. Her father frowned.

            "I thought I taught you better than that. How could you teach your daughter all those fancy tricks and light shows? She'll get to be as bad as that Goku guy at the old tournaments…always setting off fireworks and stuff during the fights!"

            "They're not tricks Dad. They're all real." She said. Chichi was going red in the face and was about to explode. Videl thought fast.

            "Why don't we go for a walk? I can show you a couple of things I learned." She offered. Hercule stood up.

            "Sure. Why not? Thanks for the tea ma'am." He said. Videl rushed him out of the door before Chichi got at him…

            Pan had heard her father was a bit of a moron but she'd never expected ignorance of that scale. _Fancy tricks and light shows, he had called it. If she hadn't left it would have been a toss up to see who let off the light show first, her or Chichi. _

            "Calm down Pan. It wasn't that bad." Shin said from behind her. She ignored him. "There are two sides to most peoples' family."

            "He completely dismissed me! 'Fancy tricks and light shows'! It took me years to learn to fight and now some idiotic…" she searched for a word.

            "Clown?" he tried.

            "No. Clowns are funny." She snapped. Shin chuckled.

            "I can see a bit of a family resemblance though." She glared at him.

            "What did you say?" she asked as she began to power up. He held out his hands in surrender.

            "All right…but I seem to remember a certain Saiyan female insisting we call her World Martial Arts Champion Pan for a week or so after her victory."

            "So?" It had just been a joke.

            "Well can you see Goku or Gohan doing that? Clearly it came from somewhere." She called him a name under her breath but had to admit he had a point.

            They arrived at the lookout to find Dende and Piccolo peering over the edge.

            "Hey Dende. Hi Mr. Piccolo." She said cheerfully. She knew her father had used that expression during his training when he was younger. Dende laughed.

            "Hello Pan. Supreme Kai." He bowed. Piccolo nodded once. 

            "Anything interesting happening?" she asked. 

            "Just watching your mother and grandfather. She's trying to train him." Dende said. 

            "What's happening?" she asked, morbidly curious.

            "She's trying to teach him to fly. I bet Piccolo she'd be able to do it. He disagrees."

            "And?"

            "And he's jumping around flapping his arms." Piccolo said in disgust. "If this is the state of the martial arts tournament these days it's a good thing we came back."

            "I agree." Shin said quietly. "Battling weak humans in spandex was getting tiresome." 

            "Speaking of spandex, where are Vegeta and my father?"

            "It's only been five hours. They have a while longer to go." Dende answered. 

            "Right." Pan looked around. "Anyone want to spar?" No one answered. "Come on. Piccolo! Don't you want to see what the daughter of your prize student can do?"

            "I doubt I'm much of a challenge." He said.

            "Sure you are! I fight Dende all the time." It was true she used a few handicaps with him…no energy blasts…no Super Saiyan powers…only allowed to use one hand

            "Fine." He ripped off his cape and turban. Pan couldn't help but be a little intimidated. His power was lower than hers, but he was enormous. Seven feet of muscle and antennae. He wasn't bad-looking either…oops…

            _Pan! Shin exclaimed. _

            _Sorry. He's not as cute as you, don't worry. Piccolo caught her off guard and their fight began._

            Vegeta emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and looked around. It was strange being out after nearly seven months of bodily torture. Gohan was behind him, blinking in the early-morning light.

            "I never thought I'd be this glad to see the Lookout." He said. Vegeta privately agreed. The chamber had been a nightmare. He had quickly ascended after only a month of training (apparently he'd been very close to the second level) and had been training even harder, hoping to reach a new level. But none had come. He had reached a power level higher than even his son's, but he could go no higher. He trained harder and harder but he was getting no stronger or faster. At first he thought he was doing something wrong, but Gohan was going through the same thing. He just couldn't break through the barrier. Finally after six more months they both concluded that this must be the maximum and decided to leave.

            Vegeta could feel several powers nearby. After half a year of no one but Gohan even he was eager to see them. He walked around until he saw them. 

            Piccolo, very singed-looking, was hovering above the floor surrounded by a blue aura. Dende was watching the planet. He felt two more…Pan and the Supreme Kai. Both were fast asleep lying against a pillar.

            Gohan laughed. "I guess it's a little early for these guys." Vegeta nodded and stared at the girl. He wondered if he would have any more children. He wouldn't mind having a daughter. She would have green hair and keep her tail. He would train her as a proper Saiyan and she would be just as powerful as this Pan. 

            And he wouldn't let any short purple aliens anywhere near her. He'd figured out why Pan showed no interest in his son and he was not amused. Why on Earth (or any other planet) would she choose this Kai over Trunks? He was a tall and good-looking boy. Fortunately most of his looks had come from Bulma. He was her equal in combat. Yet she chose this weakling Kai.

            And he was a weakling now. Vegeta had more than surpassed him and the rest of them…well, perhaps Gohan was more powerful. They were so close now it was difficult to tell. 

            "Where is Kakarott? It's his turn." He demanded loudly. The two Nameks looked up.

            "Gohan! Vegeta!" Dende greeted them. He didn't sound as eager to see Vegeta. Remembering their time on the Planet Namek Vegeta didn't blame him. 

            "Hey Dende. Has anything happened?"

            "Your daughter beat Piccolo to a bleeding pulp but apart from that it's been pretty quiet. Oh…and there's a surprise waiting for you at home. I suggest you get there fairly soon." He said.  Gohan nodded.

            "Do you know where my Dad is?" he asked. 

            "Yes. He trained alone for a while last night and then went home."

            "Great. I'll send him along when I get there." He looked at Pan one last time and smiled before taking a run-up and launching himself off the side of the Lookout. 

            Vegeta stood against a pillar for a while watching his companions.

            "Looking a little charred around the edges there, Green Bean." He commented. Piccolo glared at him and bared his teeth but made no other aggressive move. Vegeta laughed. 

            "What's so funny?" A sleepy Pan asked as she raised her head and looked around. "Hey! You're out! How did you go?" she asked. 

            "Fine." He said. 

            "Ah. I thought we'd made progress in your conversation skills but I guess I was wrong."

            "It went fine." He snapped. 

            "Much better." Then again perhaps his life would be better without a daughter. Children, like mates, were always more likeable when they were sleeping.

            Goku appeared on the Lookout and went straight over to the edge.

            "Gohan just met Hercule." He explained to those present. He and Dende stared in silence for a few minutes and then burst out laughing.

            "He just challenged Dende to a fight." Dende explained. Goku watched. Gohan was talking again…trying to reason with the man. Hercule punched him…

            "That had to hurt." He commented. Hercule's hand was a soft mush of crushed bone. Dende was shaking his head. 

            "Bulma's got a couple of sensu beans. He'll be fine." He sighed. 

            "I'll bet you're wondering why you couldn't be guardian of a more intelligent species." Goku guessed. He smiled but didn't comment.

            "Well Goku, are you ready?" Piccolo asked. Goku blinked.

            "For what?"

            "Training Goku. Remember?"

            "Oh yeah!" Goku laughed. "I'd forgotten. Sure, ready when you are."

            "I wouldn't if I were you." A voice came from behind them. Vegeta stood against a pillar.

            "What's up Vegeta? Hey, how'd your training go?" Goku asked. Vegeta gave his eerie half-grin.

            "Just fine Kakarott. But I don't think yours would go very well if you go in with Piccolo. I suggest you take the Ribena-berry over there." He gestured to the Kai. Every person in the area glared at the short Saiyan.    

            "You have a problem with my fighting Vegeta?" Piccolo growled. 

            "Oh I wouldn't dare to criticize you Green Bean." Vegeta mocked. "Kakarott just needs a stronger opponent than you to ascend…and our fearless overlord over there looks like he could use some training up." Goku shook his head. A day ago Vegeta was just about in awe of this warrior's power. Now he was…well, Vegeta again.

            Goku was about to chime in on the Kai's behalf when he was interrupted.

            "He is right of course. This is my fight, not yours. If you all plan to spend a year in the Time Chamber, then I can do no less." He stood up. "I will join Goku, that is unless you object?" he asked Piccolo.

            "No problem." He said shortly. "I'll take a few hours after you're finished. I can get more done on my own anyway." _Great! Leave it to Vegeta to screw up everyone's plans. Goku really thought he'd changed. Then again, Vegeta wasn't the sort to let thirteen years of being dead change him._

            "Right. Well…see you in a few months guys." Goku waved cheerfully.

            "Bye Grandpa." Pan said cheerfully. Grandpa. Hmm. He liked that.

            "See you later Pan. Come on. It's going to be a blast." He clapped the Kai on the shoulder. Maybe Vegeta did have a point. He was kinda small for a fighter. The Kai nodded to the others, smiled slightly at Vegeta, then followed him into the room.

            "Don't worry about him. He acts like that to everyone." Goku said. Shin smiled grimly. Vegeta acted like he had a pole shoved somewhere painful and couldn't get rid of it. Goku burst out laughing. "You're not the only one who can read the occasional thought, you know." Shin felt his cheeks heating up. Well there went any good impression he could have made on Goku.

            He looked around the chamber. Even he wasn't sure how this place worked. It just existed outside of ordinary time and space. Unlike the others it didn't concern him too much. He had seen a lot of strange things during his years of watching the universe. He shed his outer layer of clothing to compensate for the heat. He didn't even feel the gravity anymore. 

            "Well this is an interesting place." He commented. Goku nodded.

            "I came here once before when I was really little. I could only stay here a few weeks."

            "I daresay we can manage longer than that this time. I just hope I don't hold you back too much." 

            "Nah. You're way stronger than I am." Goku said. This was true, but Saiyans tended to get very strong very fast. Shin estimated Goku would surpass him in a month, two at most. 

            Months. Wonderful. He hadn't even gotten to say goodbye to Pan properly. _It looks like I've been volunteered, he'd said wryly after Piccolo gave up his place for him. _

            _Don't listen to that spiky-haired prat. You're plenty strong enough. She had argued. But Vegeta had woken a stubborn streak in him. He would train and surpass the Saiyan prince. He would rather have gone in with Pan of course, but she could be distracting at times. Perhaps this was what he needed. Serious training with someone different…_

            "Hey! You should see all the food in here!" Goku shouted from the kitchen. Hmm. Maybe not so serious. It was a good thing Shin was a small eater.

            "I hope you're happy with yourself Vegeta." Piccolo growled. Pan had flown off in a huff and Dende had gone back to meditating somewhere inside. "I thought I had difficulty making friends but you…"

            "Spare me Piccolo. I did what was necessary." The Saiyan snapped.

            "You did nothing more than humiliate the Supreme Kai of the Universe. And I have yet to see any evidence of this enormous power you supposedly achieved." Piccolo pointed out. "I'm starting to wonder if you were just lashing out because of your own inadequacies as a fighter."

            Vegeta sat down and chuckled to himself.

            "Oh no Piccolo. I assure you my powers have increased significantly. I wouldn't waste them on a beginner such as yourself of course, but I have no doubt you will see them soon enough."

            "Good to hear. I was really feeling threatened there for a while." Piccolo answered sarcastically. He knew Vegeta would never kill him. On some strange level Vegeta respected him…just as Piccolo did Vegeta. That didn't mean they had to like each other though. Although he had changed over the years. He had become more like part of the group and rarely got in his high-and-mighty mood these days. Which was why his outburst had been so surprising. "I doubt Pan will be talking to you for a while. The Kai is a good friend of hers."

            "She'll get over it. She may even thank me one day." Vegeta said. Piccolo frowned.      

            "What do you mean?" he asked. Vegeta hesitated, as if he'd already said too much. 

            "For whatever reason she has chosen that purple shrimp as her mate, but Saiyan females won't…do anything unless the male is her equal in combat or stronger." Piccolo frowned. Human mating rituals gave him a headache.

            "Pan isn't like that. She's far more human than Saiyan."

            "Is she?" Piccolo thought of her tail, and the first time she had ascended and all but blew the rest of them away with her power alone. "Point." He narrowed his eyes. "I can't believe it Vegeta. I think you just did something…considerate?" This man never failed to surprise him.    

            "Don't let it get around." He growled. "And don't get used to it."

            Bulma was hovering over the ruined space pod, desperately trying to resurrect any parts she could.

            "That's the last time I lend those guys a space craft." She said. Trunks laughed.

            "Well it wasn't really their fault." He defended them. Bulma glared.

            "I worked for months on this space ship."

            "Correction. Pan worked for months on this space ship."

            "Well I supervised!" she shouted. "And I installed the cappuccino machine, the microwave and the stereo system." 

            "What on Earth did you do that for?" Trunks asked, bewildered. 

            "That's not the point. Do you know how difficult it was configuring the microwave to run off this damned Saiyan power-module?" She threw her spanner aside in frustration.

            "Hey! I've got the main computer working again!" Trunks exclaimed. 

            "Show off." Bulma muttered but leaned over him to look at the monitor. "Sensor logs huh…let's take a look at that system."

            Trunks punched in a few commands and a wire-frame image came up on the screen.

            "Hmm…three habitable worlds…Wow! Check that out!" the moons of the worlds were glowing red. That meant a huge power source. 

            "Pan said the first weapons shot at them came from the moon." Trunks remembered. Bulma frowned.

            "That's not a bad idea. They all orbit the planets at fairly evenly spaced routes…It'd be great for defending a base of some kind"

            "If there's a power that high on the planet then why would they need these weapons?" Trunks asked. Bulma thought for a few seconds.

            "Trunks, see if you can bring up any information on life signs." She said. Trunks input the commands and she stood staring in shock.

            "I thought they said the planets looked deserted." Bulma said. There were millions of life signatures. 

            "She did. The sensors must have been scrambled in the blast." Trunks suggested. Bulma nodded. That had to be it. 

            "Woman! Food! Now!" a familiar voice shouted from outside the lab.

            "Vegeta! Get! Bent!" Bulma shouted back. Trunks was shaking his head.

            "Sometimes I wonder how you two ever got together." He sighed.

            "I wonder that every day." Bulma sighed.

            "And I regret it every day! Food!" Vegeta's voice interrupted again. Bulma sighed and went outside to finish the argument. Maybe she should take a year in the time chamber to get some peace and quiet.


	6. 6

            "Three thousand, five hundred and seventy-two." Pan counted. She was in a very bad mood and it was either train in the gravity room or destroy something. Since her family tended to get upset when she blew up islands (even uninhabited ones!), she decided training was the better option. She felt Vegeta nearby and continued her push-ups. She really wanted to march up to him and kick his sorry ass back to Otherworld. She'd heard stories about him but didn't fully appreciate how arrogant he was until today. 

            Suddenly the door to the GR opened and, once again, Pan was thrown upwards into the ceiling. She really did have to rig up a doorbell or something to give some warning when that was going to happen. Trunks stood there.

            "Sorry. Want a training partner?" he asked.

            "Aren't you supposed to be working on that space pod?" she asked.

            "You mean the one you trashed? Yeah, but Mom and Dad started arguing again so she won't be working again for a while." He said. Pan glared. Well if Vegeta wasn't available for a good ass-kicking his son was the next best thing…

            The day passed slowly for Piccolo. Dende was off meditating somewhere and Mr. Popo was nowhere to be seen. There was little to do but watch his companions down on the planet's surface. Gohan was off fishing, trying to keep out of Hercule's way. Vegeta had been fighting with Bulma for the last hour or so and it didn't look like it was going to let up any time soon. Pan and Trunks were still battling in the gravity chamber. He suspected the room wouldn't take a lot more punishment. And Krillin had given up on his blue-haired female and was on his way to join Gohan.

            Piccolo looked back at the chamber doors. He had been very near to being Goku's equal in battle before he went in. No doubt the Saiyan had doubled his power already…well perhaps more than doubled. The way he was going he would never match his powerful ex-rival. 

            He turned his attention to Gohan's mate and her father. He was pleased to see he was still winning his bet with Dende. Hercule had given up temporarily and was lecturing his daughter about the bad choices she had made with her life. Fighters like him made Piccolo sick. They wanted fame and fortune. Hercule had no interest in anything more important. When he was younger Piccolo tried to take over the Earth. Vegeta had killed probably thousands of people in his career. At least they were doing something on a grand scale: the fighters of the modern-day tournament were just plain petty.

            He sighed and looked at the clock above the door. They had only been in for three hours. That made it…one and a half months. He had been looking forward to training with Goku but now it looked like his company would consist of his fighting clone. Though he had initially been impressed with Vegeta taking the effort to help Pan with her problem it irritated him now. There were more important things to do than mess with one teenager's hormones. He wondered at the wisdom of the Supreme Kai being involved with her at all. He was meant to be watching the universe but after two years of living here he was practically an Earthling. He wasn't sure what the Kais were thinking, sending him here. Still, as arrogant as Piccolo knew he was, he wasn't ready to tell the Kais how to do their jobs.

            Sighing, he sat down on the floor and started meditating. As a wise person once said, meditation was better than sitting around doing nothing.

            Goku stood outside the chamber peering around. It felt strange being in normal gravity again. It was early evening now and the only powers nearby were Piccolo and Dende. That had been the hardest six months of his life. He had reached his desired power level after only about four months but he stayed behind to train with Shin. He was a powerful fighter but didn't develop as quickly as a Saiyan.

            "So…no welcoming committee." Goku said. Shin appeared behind him walking slowly.

            "No." he answered. Goku continued looking around and found Piccolo.

            "Hey! How's it going?" he shouted. Piccolo remained still.

            "Goku. How was your training?" he asked without opening his eyes.

            "We did all right. Anything happen while we were inside?"

            "No. I've never seen this planet so quiet."

            "Hmm. Oh well." He'd been hoping for a fight when he got out. Nothing major. Just something to warm him up before going back to the Hive's homeworld. He wondered idly if Frieza had an uncle…

            "I'm going to train. Send Trunks and Pan in the morning." Piccolo said and walked off. 

            "Good luck." Goku called after him. Piccolo turned and flashed him a rare grin.

            "Thanks." He said before the doors closed on him. Goku looked around.

            "Well, I guess it's home now. You want to come?" he invited his friend.

            "Thankyou."

            "Are you all right?" Goku asked, concerned. He seemed really out of it.

            "Sure. Just a bit…disoriented." He replied. Goku nodded. Maybe the fly home would fix him up. 

            "Come on! I'll race you!" Goku announced and dove off the side of the lookout. It felt great to be outside again and see the ground get closer and closer as he fell towards it. Endless white was not an appealing view. He laughed out loud and skimmed the surface of the ocean and he flew. He couldn't wait to see Chichi again…and he'd come out just in time for dinner!

            Pan and her family were just about to start eating when two more people came into the house.

            "Hi everyone!" Goku exclaimed.

            "Oh no!" Chichi moaned. He looked disappointed.

            "What did I do?" he asked.

            "Now I don't have enough food." She complained. Pan ordered pizza to compensate. The number was now on speed dial. 

            Shin was standing behind Goku in a dark corner. He seemed on edge, even though she couldn't see him properly. The rest of them ate chatting happily. She had more or less forgiven her grandfather after watching him make a spectacle of himself trying to fly. Her mother was certainly glad to have him around. Gohan, after having to pretend that being punched by Hercule actually hurt, was staying out of the older man's way. He and Pan had spent the afternoon happily sparring and talking. He seemed a lot more intelligent than his father. Pan thought that under different circumstances he would have made a good teacher or scientist. 

            Pan and Videl helped Chichi clean up. Clearly none of the men were going to be able to move for the next hour or so.

            "I'm full now!" Goku announced. Pan giggled. He may be a couple of decades older than her but he was still adorable. He was like a little kid that never grew up.

            Everyone crowded into the living room to watch television and chat. Shin was still standing unnoticed in a dark corner with his eyes shut. Pan walked over to him.

            "Are you all right?" she asked. He wasn't usually this antisocial. He opened his eyes.

            "Sorry." He said. He didn't look like he was all there. "I'm not used to being around this many people."

            "You want to go for a fly?" she offered.

            "Yes. That sounds good." He replied and followed her out of the house. 

            He seemed different. His hair was an inch or so longer than it had been. She could even swear he looked a few centimeters taller. Well, maybe one or two. Okay he hadn't grown but there was something different about him. 

            "So what was it like in there?" Pan asked. He wasn't talking.

            "It was hard. I've never done anything like it." He said finally.

            "You didn't seem worried going in there." 

            "I wasn't. One year in a day didn't seem too out of the ordinary."

            "What happened?" Not out of the ordinary?

            "Somehow when I entered the room changed to suit both mine and Goku's time simultaneously. I experienced one full year of a Kai in there." He answered. Pan blinked. She didn't like the sound of that room.

            "How different is that?" she asked.

            "Very different. I've aged several hundred of your years since you saw me last."

            "Wow." What could she possibly say to that? "You look great for your age." Shin smiled for the first time since she'd seen him.

            "Thankyou." He said wryly. "I missed you." 

            That caught her off guard. "Likewise." She replied. He didn't say things like that very often. "I like your hair like that." She reached out and touched the long strand hanging across his eyes. Even in the darkness she was sure his face had turned that odd shade of magenta again. He was getting back to normal.

            "So what now?" he asked. 

            "Well I have to give Piccolo twelve hours before going in to spend a year with Trunks." She said glumly.

            "If it's any consolation I doubt you'll need that long."

            "Thanks. I hope not." He could be very annoying sometimes but he took his training far too seriously. He was far too much like Vegeta. Yet she still loved him like a brother. 

            Shin gave a quiet chuckle. "Do not worry. Your secret is safe with me."

            "You know your mind reading gets annoying after a while." She complained. 

            "It's not my fault. You think too loudly." He replied easily. She glared.

            "Yeah? Read this." He flinched.

            "That wasn't nice." They flew slowly in silence for a while. 

            "So, do you want to show me what you learned in that time chamber?" Pan asked. Shin smiled.

            "I wouldn't dare presume to pit my talents against World Martial Arts Champion Pan." He said. Pan narrowed her eyes and began to power up.

            "You're mine." She announced as she ascended. Mocking, no matter how gentle, always had the same effect on her. He floated in mid-air with his arms crossed. He shrugged.

            "As you wish." He began to slowly power up. Suddenly he charged. Pan rushed to block him just in time. He'd gotten fast! She had to struggle to keep up with him. Gritting her teeth she appeared above him and brought both hands down onto his back, sending him hurtling towards the waves crashing below. She laughed loudly.

            "Come on! You can do better than that!" she shouted.

            "You're right. I can." A voice said quietly next to her ear. She whirled around to feel his fist slam into her midsection. She forced herself not to double over, instead aiming a punch at his grinning face. He disappeared before she could connect. 

            "Damn! Where are you?" she shouted. 

            "Right here." He was a few meters above her. She gritted her teeth.

            "Nova blast!" she shouted and released a bright green energy blast. He caught it neatly in one hand and absorbed it. _No way! A similar blast had demolished Buu!_

            Shin fell back into his fighting stance and for the first time Pan thought she might just be beaten. He was good.

            "Ka…" she put her hands together. "Me…Ha…"

            "Too slow Pan." He announced from behind her. Suddenly she felt him grab her arms and pin her in place in a grip tight enough to dislocate the shoulders of most people. She struggled uselessly. She even tried head-butting him to no effect. "I know all your moves Pan. None of them will work here. Surrender." He ordered. 

            "Never." Pan snapped. He held tighter. Tendons were pulled just about to breaking point. How had he gotten this strong? She called him a name.

            "That wasn't nice Pan. Surrender." He repeated. Pan was finding it difficult to breathe and she was in real pain. But she found she didn't want him to let go.

            "I won't surrender, however I'd be happy to call a draw?" she offered. He laughed out loud.

            "I don't think so." She felt her face heat up. His breath was tickling her ear. He felt warm against her back too. If her arms weren't about to pop out of their sockets she would be quite happy in that position.

            Slowly she felt Shin's grip loosening and feeling returned to her arms. She still couldn't move them. He had obviously heard her thoughts again but what was he doing now? He was perfectly still for a few moments, and then Pan felt him shift and slowly run his lips over her neck. A wave of heat swept through her and she bit her lip to keep from crying out. Shin let her go and moved back a bit.

            "I apologize. I should not have done that." He said looking upset. He'd obviously completely misunderstood her reaction. 

            Pan looked him up and down. Two years ago they had both expressed their feelings for each other and had spent a lot of time together since. But this was the first time she had felt quite this attracted to him, not to mention the first time he had initiated anything even her grandmother could consider inappropriate. 

            Well, they were alone. In the middle of nowhere to be exact. Shin was obviously attracted to her even if he was hovering a few meters away looking absolutely terrified he'd upset her. And she'd always wondered what he looked like under all those clothes…

            She gave him a slow grin and fell into a fighting stance.

            "So…best two out of three?"    

            Preparations were going slowly. When the lone soldier had set up the laboratory on the uninhabited planet he had expected to be left alone for a lot longer. Now the Hive was an army capable of defending its home system but they were troubled by the intruders. Two of them were not very strong but the third was enough to worry the Hive. And they could sense the power of one of the weak ones and it disturbed them. They had come across him before and were not entirely confident about facing him again. 

            The Hive had planned for a mass evacuation however. There were vast transport ships, cargo vessels and fighter craft that had been left behind when the old Hive was destroyed. A simple remote command had brought them to the new homeworld. It was the technology and the rapid-growth tanks that were presenting the problem. Many of them had half-grown soldiers within them. Still it had been several days since the intruders had arrived. Perhaps they had been frightened off by the energy given off by the soldiers, especially the new creation. Only one prototype had been made so far but the Hive had plans to make several more. He was a very impressive fighter. 

            For now they would split up and travel to four separate planets and increase their numbers. They had achieved much in two years and with as many soldiers as they had they would easily expand their territory. No one would threaten them and they would eventually become the sole inhabitants of the universe. One collective mind, millions of perfect bodies. That was the goal of the Hive.

            Shin woke up the next morning just as the sun was rising. He wasn't sure where he was. Outside…ah. One of Earth's many islands. He looked around and the memories came flooding back to him. Pan was curled up behind him sound asleep. When they'd set out on their flight last night he'd had no idea what it would result in. 

            He'd spent a long time with Goku in the time chamber. They trained most of the time but there were still a few quiet moments when they talked about various things. One of those things happened to be human females. Goku had said he never got the chance to talk to his son about 'girls and stuff' so he took it upon himself to educate Shin. Apparently he was more perceptive than his son. Most of the advice he had received had to do with how to avoid flying frying pans and what to do when being shouted at but some of it had come in useful last night.         

            He gently pulled out of her grasp and dressed in his uniform. He tugged at his collar a bit. He wished Goku had mentioned that females (or perhaps it was just Saiyans) liked to mark their partners. He had a painful bite mark on his neck and he wondered idly if Saiyans were venomous. 

            "You know you really need to learn how to colour-coordinate." Pan said from behind him. He hadn't expected her to wake up so quickly.

            "Good morning." He greeted her. She had often complained about his colours. He liked them. 

            "Good morning." She smiled and stretched. He tried not to stare at her too much. She was without a doubt the most attractive female Shin had ever met. Despite the sharp teeth.

            "Piccolo will be expecting you soon. As will Trunks." He said. She shrugged.

            "They can wait a few minutes. In the meantime I don't suppose your magical-making-stuff powers extend to food do they?" she asked hopefully. Shin laughed.

            "No I'm afraid not." he replied.

            "Oh well. What about a new outfit?" 

            "I have no problem with your current state." He smirked. Her face turned pink and she called him a name again. He wasn't sure what it meant but he guessed it was an insult. "All right." He reluctantly clothed her. She looked down.

            "Thanks." She wore Piccolo's uniform again, minus the cape and with a bit more creativity with the neckline. "Shall we go then?" Shin nodded.

            "Yes. With luck we should be able to go to the planet you surveyed later today." He said as they took off.

            "What's the rush?" Pan asked. "Maybe we can get some more training in before we go.

            "I have a feeling we don't have that much time." Shin answered. A sense of foreboding had been hanging over him ever since he had first heard of the Hive's re-emergence. 

            "Fair enough." She said. They flew silently for a while. "I'm really going to miss you in there." she said suddenly. Shin blushed.

            "I survived. I'm sure you will." He tried to dismiss her comment. She growled another insult and glared at him. 

            Just before they arrived at the lookout Shin grabbed hold of her and kissed her hard. "I will miss you too." He tried to amend his earlier remark. It worked. She was far happier as they flew the rest of they way. Apparently there was an art to interacting with Pan. Overseeing the Universe was easy. Dealing with Earth females…that was hard.

            There was a small gathering waiting for them.

            "Hey! Took you long enough." Goku greeted them. Shin froze at the sight of Gohan. Uh oh…

            "Where have you two been?" he asked cheerfully.

            He and Pan both answered "Training." And "Got lost" at the same time. Vegeta, being his usual self, was leaning against a pillar with his back to the others. Trunks grinned and walked up to them.

            "Are you ready?" he asked Pan. She gave him her evil grin.

            "Sure am. The question is: Will you be in any condition to fight when you come out?" she challenged. He was about to reply when Vegeta cut him off.

            "If you two are finished the sooner you go inside the sooner we can all go and fight." He snapped. Trunks rolled his eyes.

            "Piccolo's not even out yet." He pointed out. In perfect timing the door to the chamber opened. The painfully bright light revealed the enormous silhouette of Piccolo.

            "Hey Trunks. Have you got psychic powers you haven't told us about yet?" Goku laughed. 

            Piccolo looked unconcerned, as if the chamber hadn't affected him at all. His power was strong. Shin could sense power levels even if they were suppressed these days. He guessed Piccolo wasn't concerned about the chamber because he'd spent most of his life training alone anyway.

            "Hi Piccolo. How did you go?" Gohan asked his teacher. 

            "Fine." He answered. 

            "You sure took your time." Vegeta commented. He had taken the longest so far.

            "I was alone in a chamber without you Vegeta. It was the best time I've had since you landed here." He spat. Vegeta gave his quiet semi-evil chuckle.

            "Well I guess we go in now." Trunks said. "See you all later today." He gave a general wave to the group and walked off. Pan sighed.

            "I'll see you in a few months I guess." She said apprehensively. Shin squeezed her shoulder.

            "You'll be fine." He assured her. She turned and gave him a long goodbye kiss before walking off. His cheeks felt like they were on fire and he could sense Vegeta staring at him. Fortunately Gohan was talking with Piccolo. He liked Gohan but was certain he'd get his rear end kicked from Earth to Namek once the demi-Saiyan found out he was sleeping with his daughter. 

            _What are you looking at? He snapped at Vegeta. Vegeta smirked and looked away._

            "How long do you think they'll take?" Goku asked him. 

            "It depends what level they get to." Shin said. "They may be able to penetrate the barrier you spoke of." He said. Like Vegeta and Gohan, Goku had reached a level he could not surpass. For a while anyway… "With luck they should be out within a few hours."

            "Why wait?" Vegeta asked. All eyes turned to the Saiyan.

            "Because we need them." Shin answered. 

            "I doubt it. We are all far more powerful than them. We don't need them." Vegeta insisted. Shin was liking him less and less after every encounter.

            "We all need to fight together if we're going to survive this. Or perhaps you liked it so much in Otherworld that you'd like to go back there?" Shin snapped. Goku stood between them.

            "Hey…you know how much I hate to go along with him, Supreme Kai, but I was going to suggest the same thing." Shin stared at him. What was wrong with these people? Goku continued. "I mean, I know we could use the extra help and all that but isn't it better to have a backup plan? What if we get to this place and find we aren't strong enough? We could all be killed. At least this way they could train a bit more before trying their chances."

            "Our chances are better if we all stick together."

            "I'm with Shin." Videl spoke up. "We can't do this without them."

            "I'm with Vegeta." Gohan said suddenly. "I wanted to leave Pan behind in any case. It will be easier this way."

            "What? Why?" Videl demanded.

            "Well…I just don't want to take her into battle. I don't want you going either." He said. She put her hands on her hips.

            "News Flash! I'm going whether you want me to or not! And so is Pan!"

            "A battle field is no place for a woman." Gohan said. Everyone was silent and it felt like the temperature had dropped about ten degrees. Shin waited for the inevitable outburst from Videl. He got it too.

            "Of all the arrogant bone-headed things to say! She's been stronger than you for the last ten years or so and will probably come out of that chamber more powerful than you again!"

            "I don't want my little girl in battle!" Gohan insisted.

            "You sound just like my father!" Videl shouted. 

            "I just got the two of you back after thirteen years Videl. I don't want to lose either of you!"

            "You wouldn't say that if you'd been beaten senseless by her on more than one occasion Gohan." Shin said quietly.

            "Yes I would! The enemy out there is more powerful than any of us!" Shin couldn't help glancing at Goku.

            "Not necessarily." 

            "Anyway if you want to get all sexist on me, what about Piccolo? He's not exactly a 'he', yet you have no qualms fighting along side of him!" Videl gestured at the Namek.

            "LEAVE ME OUT OF THIS!" Piccolo shouted. Vegeta roared with laughter. Shin hid a grin. What the others didn't know was that Piccolo made a wish of the dragon quite a few years ago and was now pretty much as male as the rest of them. "At any rate, I think we need all the help we can get. I say they come with us." Piccolo said.

            "Here here." Krillin piped up. 

            "Let's vote. Do we go without them or not? I say yes." Goku said. 

            "Yes." Said Vegeta.

            "Yes." Said Gohan.

            "No." Videl glared at her husband.

            "No." Piccolo growled.

            "No." Krillin said. Great. A tie. All eyes were on Shin.

            _I know you can hear me Kai. Do you really want to take your girlfriend into battle? Vegeta inquired. Shin glared._

            _The only reason you want to go now is you're impatient. _

_            Maybe. Maybe I'm concerned for my son. Shin raised an eyebrow. __All right, I am impatient. But you're generally a more considerate person than I am. You should be worried for her._

_            She can take care of herself. Shin stated, but it got him thinking._

            "What about a third option?" he asked. "The three who are so eager to go-"he glared at Vegeta again. "- will go on ahead to see what is out there. They will not engage the enemy. After no more than one hour they will return and we will go back with the other two_." He suggested. _

            "Fine with me." Vegeta said. "I'm sick of waiting around talking." 

            "You can't go alone. I'll come." Gohan agreed. 

            "I'm not missing out. What about you guys?" Goku asked the rest of them. The opposing voters didn't respond. 

            "I'll come." Shin said. There would be no harm done. They would just go in, look around and come home. 


	7. 7

Just a short chapter this time. I'd say it's to build up suspense but actually it's because it's going to take me a while to figure out what to write next. Please review if you can spare the time/finger energy J

Oh, and I don't own DBZ.

The four of them transported to the planet they had surveyed. Gohan let go of Vegeta's arm quickly. The prince had long ago refused to learn the Instant Transmission, saying he didn't need Goku's help for anything. Gohan didn't understand the reasoning behind his decision, especially since he now needed Gohan to transport him places, but he was happy to help. He maybe arrogant, pig-headed and a complete mystery but they had become friends of sorts over the last few years. 

            The planet was similar to Earth. There were plants, the air was breathable and the gravity was only slightly higher. But there were no buildings in sight despite the fact Gohan could sense power all around him. Where were the fighters?

            The others were looking around curiously.

            "I can sense energy coming from all around us." Goku stated what they all felt.

            "Some of it isn't from this world. I can feel it coming from further away." Vegeta said. Gohan frowned and concentrated…yes. It was coming from one of the other worlds…no, two of them. 

            "Gohan, you and Vegeta stay here. I'll take one planet, Supreme Kai? Will you take the third one?" Goku suggested.

            "We shouldn't split up." The Kai argued.

            "We'll be fine. If we get into any trouble we can teleport home." Goku pointed out. He disappeared. The Supreme Kai looked frustrated.

            "Fine." He glanced at Vegeta who was looking around. "Don't let him out of your sight." He said to Gohan. Gohan nodded. If anyone was likely to get into trouble it would be Vegeta. The small fighter disappeared, leaving him alone with Vegeta.

            "So where do we go from here?" Gohan asked. Vegeta shrugged.

            "When we destroyed them the first time the planet's surface was covered in buildings."

            "I'm going to check out those dome-shaped things we saw the last time we were here." Gohan said as he floated up into the air. Vegeta followed him.

            There was one not too far away from them. Gohan flew towards it. It was enormous. One kilometer in diameter at least. Vegeta hissed.

            "I've seen them before." He said. 

            "Pan said they could be domed cities but they don't look right." Gohan remembered.

            "No they're not cities. They're spacecraft. Some of the worlds I fought against used craft like them to transport armies."

            "Armies huh?" Gohan didn't like the sound of that. "How many soldiers could they transport?" 

            "Thousands." Gohan swallowed.

            "The Hive couldn't possibly have that many troops. We scoured the whole surface of the planet. We couldn't have missed more than a handful."

            "They've had two years." Vegeta pointed out.

            "No one could create thousands of troops in two years. Even if they were artificially engineered or cloned they would need time to-" Vegeta started chuckling.

            "I hate to break it to you Gohan but Earth is far behind the rest of the universe as far as science is concerned."

            "Says the greatest scientific mind since Einstein." Gohan said sarcastically. As far as Vegeta was concerned if he couldn't kill it or use it to train against it wasn't important. 

            "Come on. We'll go take a look." Vegeta said and took off towards it.

            "Vegeta!" Gohan called after him nervously. They weren't meant to confront the enemy yet.

            "What are you afraid of kid? If you're right then the ships will be empty!" The older man called back. Gohan mumbled a bad word and followed him down.

            Apparently he had seen these ships before. By the time Gohan caught up to him he was already opening a hidden door into it.

            It was dark inside. Gohan produced a small energy ball to light the way. It was a cold metallic corridor devoid of any signs of life, yet the feeling of power was all around him.

            "Maybe it's not a fighter at all. Maybe…maybe it's just the energy of these ships we've been sensing. If there's so many of them on one planet then the concentrated energy could feel like a fighter." Gohan suggested. 

            "I've been fighting all my life. I was flying about the galaxy before you were even born and I've never sensed the energy of a constructed object. Have you?"

            "No." Gohan admitted.

            "Then you're wrong. There is a fight to be had somewhere on this ball of rock." He turned down another corridor. They walked silently for a long time. Finally they came to a door locked with a keypad combination.

            "Now what?" Gohan asked. Vegeta held up his hand in front of him and an energy blast formed. Gohan frowned. There was something wrong there…

            The door exploded and clouds of smoke and flying shrapnel flew around them. Then Gohan remembered the fighter. The one in the space suit who had almost killed them the first time they'd come to the solar system. He had floated in his vacuum suit, legs straight and palm stretched outwards shortly before attempting to destroy the space pod…

            He had a very good idea what would be in that room once the smoke cleared.

            Goku stared in horror all around him. He had found his way into a space-ship and was staring around him in a vast cavern. There in tanks looking like aquariums floated hundreds of fighters. The one fighter they had encountered on their way in had bothered him, and now he knew why. Its stance and energy attack was identical to Vegeta's. But something about it was wrong and now he knew what it was.

            He was surrounded by hundreds of pre-teen Vegetas. 

            Under other circumstances he would have laughed at the sight. He had been a cute kid. Shorter than average with flame-like hair that fell in his eyes. But these weren't other circumstances. Each of these fighters would be born with the Saiyan's fighting power, but be guided by what was left of the mind of the Doctor whose name Goku didn't know. They all floated in their individual tanks, eyes shut and clothed in combat suits similar to the Saiyan prince's but without the armour. Goku could see these fighters hadn't gone soft from being raised in tanks. They all had the build of a fighter. None had tails. 

            "This is bad." He said to himself. He came to the other side of the chamber and opened up the door. Easy combination. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. There the fighters looked a few years older. The hair had stopped falling over their faces and they looked far more like the arrogant prince in his present state. He found another chamber where he looked to be in his 20's. Lastly he found one and he did burst out laughing. These Vegetas were no older than four or five. He had been an adorable child. What had happened?

            He teleported into another ship and found pretty much the same setup. Lots of clones in various stages of maturity. He went into a third and then figuring they were pretty much all the same, decided to take one more before he would go back to Gohan and see if anything different was happening there.

            He appeared in the chamber and his heart lurched.

            "No way!" he shouted. He looked in terror at the clones all around him. The others had been bad enough but these…he couldn't fight these!

            Shin stood in the chamber of a space ship. He had been startled by the Hive's new drones but he had snapped out of his horror. He had seen only a few hundred fully-developed clones. The rest were all children in groups of about five, ten and fifteen years. There were several chambers filled with infants too but he didn't consider them a threat…yet.

            He entered the last chamber in the single ship on his planet. This room contained lots of computer equipment and one tank…an empty tank. He walked over to the computer. He could read the language (He was a Kai. He could read all languages!) but he had never got on well with computers. Bulma had tried teaching him one idle afternoon but he never really saw the need to learn. Now he wished he had. What was this single tank? And why was it empty?

            "If you're looking for the exit you're in the wrong room." A voice said from behind him. Shin scowled but didn't look up from the terminal.

            "Vegeta you're supposed to be with Gohan!" he snapped. How had he gotten here? He didn't even know how to do the Instant Transmission.

            "Vegeta…Gohan…so those are the names." Shin froze. That wasn't Vegeta.

            He turned around slowly and stared at the other man. He was tall. About Gohan's height. He wore a Saiyan combat suit without the armour and had waist-long black hair with a hairline similar to Vegeta's. Who was this guy?

            "Do I know you?" Shin asked. He looked maddeningly familiar.

            "No." The other man looked him up and down. "You're a strange-looking creature. What species are you?" Shin frowned, and then realized he must be the tank's occupant. It made sense, but what was he? He had been through several chambers on this transport ship and all he had seen were clones of Gohan. 

            Gohan…

            He had seen photographs of Gohan as a child. His hair was usually quite long…and something around the eyes reminded him of Gohan but the hairline and the voice…

            Of course! They had both gone to destroy the Hive and had both had their bodies copied. But this man…

            "You're a fusion aren't you?" Shin stated.

            "A what?"

            "A fusion. Two beings combined into one to share power." Shin looked him up and down. He was tall and powerfully built. And if he had anywhere near Gohan or Vegeta's fighting ability he was in big trouble.

            "No. This body was created using the DNA of the two fighters who destroyed the previous Hive." It answered. "Who are you and why are you on my planet?" Shin glared.

            "I am the Supreme Kai of the Universe. I've watched your Hive for a long time. You've destroyed dozens of star systems. It was on my order that you were destroyed the first time." He said. Vegeta/Gohan stared back, unimpressed.

            "Supreme Kai? Hmm. I thought you'd be taller." He circled him. Shin stood his ground. "I can sense your power though. You are a formidable fighter. Perhaps it would be worthwhile making a few copies of you." Shin clenched his teeth. 

            "I've come here to stop you." He spat. This wasn't going at all to plan. He had to get out of there and re-group with the others. 

            "You're too late. Even if you're able to defeat me, the others will be offworld within the day." Veget-han said. 

            "I have others with me. They will stop you if I can't."

            "They won't even know. The power you sensed from across the universe comes from my fighters, but I've enhanced it. It creates so much noise no-one will even know you're fighting." It gave him Vegeta's smirk, but this one was pure evil rather than smug humour.

            Suddenly Vegethan vanished and reappeared inches away from him, delivering a crushing blow to his stomach. Shin forced himself not to double over. Instant Transmission! He tried to disappear but Vegethan grabbed his arm.

            "You're not getting away that easily." He said and aimed another blow at him. This time Shin was ready and dodged it. He had to warn the others.

            _Goku! The Hive is getting ready to leave! Get the others and stop them. Hurry! He sent urgently. He felt a startled acknowledgement coming from Goku before the connection was severed by static. Vegethan was blocking him!_

            He tried to teleport again but the same energy was forcing him to stay where he was. The other man smirked and fell into a fighting stance. Shin looked into his eyes and his heart froze. He had improved drastically in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber but was he strong enough to defeat the combined power of Gohan and Vegeta?


	8. 8

I know I haven't updated lately. So sue me!

None of these characters are mine. So don't sue me!

Goku tried as hard as he could to contact the Kai again but the power around him was too distracting. He couldn't even sense Gohan or Vegeta anymore. His Instant Transmission didn't work either. He wasn't exactly afraid, he was perfectly capable of taking care of himself, but he wasn't sure how strong the army of Vegetas was. As for the hundreds of copies of his son…it made him feel sick to even contemplate fighting them. 

            He was stuck on that planet too. He wished he'd brought along some of Bulma's space suits. He could have flown to one of the other planets to see what was happening there. As for the Hive getting ready to leave…the most he could do was destroy his planet, but there were two others out there and he knew killing himself along with one third of the army wouldn't do anyone a lot of good.

            Maybe he would have more luck sensing the others if he was outside. 

            Trunks struggled to control the power his body was producing and form his energy blast. 

            "GALLIC GUN!" he roared and released the golden blast. It shot out from his hands upwards and disappeared into the…whatever passed for a sky in that place. 

            His power had increased massively since he started training. He didn't think he was going to Ascend again. He would have done it by now. But he was getting stronger every day he could feel it. 

            He glanced back towards his temporary home where Pan was. He hadn't seen her train for days. The closest thing to training he'd seen her do is walk around, or sometimes fly, using the discarded cape Piccolo must have accidentally left behind. It wasn't like her at all. True, the chamber was daunting but it wasn't like she was there alone. And they both would have gotten stronger a lot faster if they trained together. 

            Trunks was worried. 

            For now he would just have to train alone. Maybe he could talk with her later. 

            The Supreme Kai fought furiously with his adversary. Vegethan had already turned Super Saiyan and showed signs of Ascending at any moment. Shin's smaller size helped him while fighting in the lab but it was getting annoying dodging fallen wall-plating and exposed, sparking wires. Besides, he could at least do some good there. 

            With a loud shout he aimed his hands downwards and released an energy blast that ripped through the floor and into the heart of the space ship. It shook and rattled around.

            "What have you done?" shouted an angry Vegethan. Shin gave him a chilly smile and shielded his face as the ship blew up.

            The clouds of debris settled and they were still face-to-face standing in the ruin that was the spaceship.

            "That's one less army you'll have to infect the galaxy." Shin said as he settled into a defensive stance. With a roar the Saiyan ascended. His long hair burst out of its bindings and his muscles swelled up enormously.

            "You'll pay for that!" he shouted and ran at the Kai. Shin wasn't too worried. He had been training with Goku for the last year or so after all. But he did have to move a lot faster than he had been doing to dodge the attack. 

            "So much for your superior body Vegethan. Vegeta alone is stronger than you!" Shin spat as he landed a hard punch on the other man's jaw. The Saiyan snarled and lashed out, catching him in the face. Shin kicked out at his stomach and sent him flying into the air. This was too easy. He flew up behind him and sent him crashing to the ground again. Vegethan dropped like a brick and made a nice big crater in the planet's surface.

            He staggered to his feet.

            "I'll have you, purple rat!" he roared. Shin laughed out loud.

            "I've been called that by more intimidating foes than you Vegethan!" he shouted. He was feeling very pleased with himself. The training had obviously paid off and now he was going to defeat the leader of the Hive. 

            The battle raged on. Vegethan's anger was building and his movements were growing sloppy. Shin on the other hand was more confident than he had ever been while fighting. 

            The Ascended Saiyan got up from yet another crater in the ground and glared up at the Kai who was floating a few inches off the ground.

            "You have lost Vegethan. You are dead, and with me are many more warriors more powerful than you. Your army will be destroyed the way it should have been years ago."

            Vegethan stood still with fists clenched and glaring darkly. 

            Suddenly he roared and an enormous energy burst out of him.

            _What the…Shin shielded his face. The light was blinding and the shockwave almost sent him stumbling backwards. _

            When the light subsided he saw Vegethan standing there. He looked more monstrous than ever. The glare that had reminded Shin so much of Vegeta looked far more evil without eyebrows, and the long, knee-length hair filled Shin with a dread he had not felt since fighting Buu.

            Vegethan had reached the third level.

            Shin stood dumbstruck staring in horror. How could he have reached the third level? 

            He didn't seem at all smug and obviously hadn't planned on this happening. Apparently even evil Saiyans could ascend at seemingly random intervals. 

            Shin forced himself into a defensive position as Vegethan charged. Almost too fast for him to see the Saiyan hit him in the face and sent him flying through the air. Before he could regain control of his flight path the warrior appeared behind him and sent him crashing back down to the ground. 

            _This can't be happening! He thought desperately. Surely he hadn't trained all that time only to be defeated! _

            But he knew deep down he had already lost. He had never been able to beat Goku in a sparring session when he was in his third stage. And this was not a friendly Saiyan as determined to help Shin train as he was to get stronger himself. This was an enraged bio-engineered fusion wanting to tear him limb from limb. 

            He forced himself to stand and face his attacker. Snarling he sent a scatter shot of blue energy balls hurtling towards him.

            Vegethan didn't even bother blocking. They bounced off him like tennis balls.

            The Kai tried not to look rattled but Vegethan laughed at him.

            "What's wrong? Not as strong as you thought you were?" Shin braced himself and started to gather energy. Blue white light gathered between his hands, behind his eyes and all around his body. With a loud cry he took aim and released it with enough force to destroy a planet.

            The bolt hit Vegethan square in the chest and threw him high above the ground. _It's working! He thought wildly. The beam was taking him higher and higher, through the atmosphere and…_

            He lost his balance and was knocked forward into the dirt. He heard laughter behind him.

            "Too slow." The voice said. Before he could get up Shin felt strong arms lock around his shoulders and he was lifted up. 

            Forgetting all of his martial arts training he struggled wildly trying to escape but the bulky, over-muscled arms held him tight. 

            "You put up a good fight though…I wonder. Perhaps it would be worth my time making a few copies of you." The vision of a thousand Supreme Kais under the control of this monster made his stomach turn.

            "No!" he shouted and powered up again. The arms held him tighter. And tighter. They were squeezing his shoulders backwards the way he had done to Pan only the day before. Except he had been playing. 

            He almost passed out as both shoulders snapped out of where they were meant to be. He felt himself being dropped face-first into the dirt.

            Shin glared up helplessly at the Saiyan. He was alone and no one was there to help him.

            Vegethan pointed a finger at him and a golden energy ball formed there.

            "Just a few more seconds and it will all be over." He taunted. Shin sneered. He knew what he had to do.

            "I'm taking you with me Vegethan." He hissed. With his arms hanging limply as he crouched on the ground he focused all of his remaining energy on his enemy.

            Vegethan's body went rigid.

            "What is this?" he shouted and struggled. Shin held him fast, got up and stood in front of him. He stared up at the taller man. 

            Without another word Shin looked down at the ground. It began to shake slightly.

            He was the Supreme Kai of the universe. He had watched over it for thousands of years and seen many evil beings destroy and enslave entire galaxies.

            So of course he knew how to destroy a planet if he ever needed to.


End file.
